Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Precarious work refers to working arrangements that include unfavourable conditions such as low wages, low job security, poor physical working conditions, low control, uncertain scheduling, and few benefits. Studies show that exposure to precarious work increases the risk of mental health problems including depression and suicidality. Because women make up a higher percentage of those in precarious work than men in both Canada and the US, the growth of precarious work in these countries has great implications for gender disparities in mental health. Few studies have linked the growth of precarious work and its associated gender-inequalities in mental health to the labour market and social policies that shape both how people work and its health effects. Evidence on the gendered experiences of precarious work and mental health for populations who face multiple adversities, such as poverty and substance use disorders, and who are commonly socioeconomically marginalized, is especially lacking. This research program has two aims: (1) compare the extent that precarious work contributes to gender-based inequalities in mental health in Canada and the US between 2000 and 2018, and (2) examine this relationship from the lived experiences of individuals who are socioeconomically marginalized. Aim 1 will be examined with comparable samples from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Canadian Community Health Survey. Aim 2 leverages survey and in-depth interview data from three ethno-epidemiological studies of socioeconomically marginalized individuals in Vancouver. Using quantitative, qualitative, and cross-national analyses, this research produces evidence on the gendered distribution of precarious work and its effect on mental health; the modifiable aspects of gender-based inequalities that can be linked to the policies shaping precarious work; and, the mechanisms driving gendered experiences of precarious work and mental health for marginalized individuals.