What ergonomic studies tell us about sex and gender in the workplace and why this is important for occupational health

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CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Webinar Series on Integrating Gender and Sex in Health Research

By Dr. Karen Messing

Monday, March 12, 2012

Webinar Time (by time zone)
Pacific  10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Mountain 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Central 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Eastern 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Atlantic 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Since 2006, a group of Québec ergonomists has been holding regular workshops to grapple with issues concerning gender, sex and ergonomic analysis.  Their conclusions are of interest to researchers in occupational health and beyond.  Observations tell us that the same variable name (standing posture at work, repetitive work) may not correspond to the same work activity of women and men, even within the same workplace.  Observations of work activity of women and men and interviews with them about their workday tell us that some working conditions (e.g., unpredictable and variable schedules) affect work-family articulation differently for the average woman and the average man.  Sex differences in average size and strength may also correspond to different exposures and health effects.  In this presentation, Dr. Karen Messing will discuss the wide-ranging implications of these findings for health research design including the choice of population-based vs. industry- or occupation-based study designs, the choice of variables, the treatment of gender (confounder vs. stratification), and so on. 

Please note that pre-reading is encouraged for this webinar. Participants may find it helpful to read Chapter 6 by Dr. Messing and colleagues in the IGH casebook prior to the session. This presentation will be in English, but questions may be posed in French or English.

Dr. Karen Messing was a full professor of ergonomics in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Quebec at Montreal until her retirement in 2008,. Since then, she has continued to do research on applications of gender-sensitive analysis in occupational health and on constraints and demands of work in the health care and service sectors, especially prolonged static standing.

No RSVP necessary. To join the session, please follow the instructions below. Please note that the session will start promptly at the time indicated. Participants may log in up to a ½ hour prior to start to test their set-up and address any technical queries.

For more information or questions related to these sessions, please contact IGH Knowledge Translation Manager Stephanie Coen at: scoen@exchange.ubc.ca or 604-827-3445 .

The CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Integrating Gender and Sex in Health Research Webinar Series provides learning opportunities to advance the integration of gender and sex considerations in health research.

 How to participate

For these sessions we will be using the University of British Columbia’s distance learning platform Wimba. To use Wimba, you will need a computer with an internet connection and speakers or a headset. A mic is useful but not necessary; questions may also be submitted via a text chat feature.

1. Entering the IGH virtual classroom
• Go to: ubc.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=Institute_of_Gender_and_Health 
• A login window will pop up. Enter your name only, as you would like it to appear in the participant log. There is no username/password required. Click enter.
• The next screen will ask you to run the Wimba set-up wizard. If this is your first time using Wimba, click the “Run Wizard” button and follow the prompts. If you have previously entered the Wimba classroom, click the link lower down on the page to skip the wizard and enter the classroom directly. 
• Tip: Ensure that your computer/headset volume is audible and your pop-up blocker is disabled before running the wizard.
• Once the wizard is completed, you will be re-directed into the IGH Wimba classroom.

2. During the session
How to “talk”
• Please note that all participants will be muted during the presentation. For questions or technical issues during the presentation portion, please use the chat feature (described below). 
• During the Q&A portion, participants will be asked to please raise their hands and will be called upon in turn.
• To raise your hand, click the hand icon button at the bottom of the people box (where all participant names appear).
• You will then be identified and unmuted.
• To speak, hold down the “Talk” button and ask your question. Release once you are done speaking.

How to “chat”
• To pose a question, enter your question in the dropdown menu in the dialog box and press Enter.
• If you have having audio trouble during the Q&A period or do not have a microphone, you can type your questions to Stephanie and she will read them out.