Vanessa Puig-Barrachina - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Vanessa Puig-Barrachina
International Journal of Health Services, 2019
This study aims to assess differences in the working population of Chile under the definition of ... more This study aims to assess differences in the working population of Chile under the definition of informal employment. A new categorization of informal employment is proposed, with a focus on social protection as a key element in the definition of informal employment status, thereby making visible different groups of workers that until now remained hidden. From a mixed methodological strategy that combines literature review, key informant interviews, and quantitative data analysis, the researchers seek to understand the complexity of the social phenomenon of informality.
International Journal of Health Services, 2016
This article reports evidence gained by the SOPHIE Project regarding employment and labor market-... more This article reports evidence gained by the SOPHIE Project regarding employment and labor market-related policies. In the first step, quality of employment and of precarious and informal employment in Europe were conceptualized and defined. Based on these definitions, we analyzed changes in the prevalence and population distribution of key health-affecting characteristics of employment and work between times of economic prosperity and economic crisis in Europe and investigated their impact on health outcomes. Additionally, we examined the effects of several employment and labor market-related policies on factors affecting health equity, including a specific analysis concerning work-related gender equity policies and case studies in different European countries. Our findings show that there is a need to standardize definitions and indicators of (the quality of) employment conditions and improve information systems. This is challenging given the important differences between and within European countries. In our results, low quality of employment and precarious employment is associated with poor mental health. In order to protect the well-being of workers and reduce work-related health inequalities, policies leading to precarious working and employment conditions need to be suspended. Instead, efforts should be made to improve the security and quality of employment for all workers.
Social Science & Medicine, 2016
The changing nature of employment in recent decades, due to an increased emphasis on flexibility ... more The changing nature of employment in recent decades, due to an increased emphasis on flexibility and competitiveness in European labour markets, compels the need to assess the consequences of contemporary employment situations for workers. This article aims to study the relation between the quality of employment and the health and well-being of European workers, using data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey. A typology of employment arrangements, mapping out employment quality in the European labour force, is constructed by means of a Latent Class Cluster Analysis. This innovative approach shows that it is possible to condense multiple factors characterising the employment situation into five job types: Standard Employment Relationship-like (SER-like), instrumental, precarious unsustainable, precarious intensive and portfolio jobs. Binary logistic regression analyses show that, controlling for other work quality characteristics, this employment quality typology is related to self-perceived job satisfaction, general health and mental health. Precarious intensive jobs are associated with the worst and SER-like jobs with the best health and well-being situation. The findings presented in this study indicate that, among European wage workers, flexible and de-standardised employment tends to be related to lower job satisfaction, general health and mental health. The quality of employment is thus identified as an important social determinant of health (inequalities) in Europe.
International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, Jan 15, 2016
The aim of this article is to explain the results of the SOPHIE project regarding the effect of g... more The aim of this article is to explain the results of the SOPHIE project regarding the effect of gender policies on gender inequalities in health in Europe. We start with the results of a systematic review on how gender regimes and gender equality policies at the country level impact women's health and gender inequalities in health. Then, we report on three empirical analyses on the relationship between different family policy models existing in Europe and gender inequalities in health. Finally we present four case studies on specific examples of gender policies or determinants of gender inequalities in health. The results show that policies that support women's participation in the labor force and decrease their burden of care, such as public services and support for families and entitlements for fathers, are related to lower levels of gender inequality in terms of health. In addition, public services and benefits for disabled and dependent people can reduce the burden place...
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the quality of employment conditions and employment ... more This report provides an in-depth analysis of the quality of employment conditions and employment relations in the European employed workforce. Employment in the report is viewed as the contractual relationship between an employer and a worker, specifically how the rights and duties embedded into the relationship are translated into real rights. The analysis is mainly based on data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), conducted in 2010. Where appropriate, comparisons with earlier waves of the EWCS are made. An executive summary is also available.
Introduction Informal employment has been conceptualised as an employment condition and as a soci... more Introduction Informal employment has been conceptualised as an employment condition and as a social determinant of health because of its impact on self-reported health and health inequalities. However, currently evidence on the effects on health is scarce and its definition remains unclear. The aim of this study was to propose a new conceptualization of the working population in Chile, in order to make visible different groups of workers in informal employment, focusing on social protection as a key element in the definition of informal employment status.
Methods We developed a mixed strategy combining a literature review, key informant interviews and epidemiological analysis. We reviewed scientific and grey literature (documents from international organisations and public institutions). Ten interviews were conducted with persons from different backgrounds and approaches to the Chilean labour market. To describe the groups from a social protection perspective, we analysed data for 8,357 workers from the first Chilean work, employment health and quality of life survey (2009–2010).
Results Based on the information gathered, the following five variables were selected to generate, in combination, 13 groups of workers: status in employment, contractual status and workplace for dependent workers, educational level for self-employed and number of employees for employers. The social protection status of these 13 groups was analysed based on contribution to pensions scheme as a central axis, aiding to identify them as formal or informal.
Conclusions This new classification makes it possible to unravel groups of workers who had been previously excluded by dichotomist approaches to informal employment, confirming that a more nuanced approach is required to overcome the invisibility of certain types of workers, which may otherwise have important consequences on their health. Having a more precise classification leads to an improved measurement of informal employment and a better understanding of its impacts on population health.
While most countries have imposed austerity policies that risk jeopardizing the progress towards ... more While most countries have imposed austerity policies that risk jeopardizing the progress towards gender equality, there are examples of European regions that have maintained or strengthened gender-equality policies in a climate of economic downturn. Following a realist approach and adopting Kingdon's agenda-setting model as our framework, this explanatory case study examines how, why and under which circumstances the gender budgeting strategy has resisted austerity measures. This strategy represents a key tool for gender mainstreaming in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. Results have shown that the existence of a strong left-wing government is a necessary context for the maintenance of gender equality policies. The feasibility given by the previous context of institutionalization of this strategy and its low cost, together with political commitment — with a decisive contribution from female leadership — have been the major factors allowing the maintenance of the gender budgeting strategy in Andalusia.
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2014
To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Cen... more To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Central America; and to examine whether patterns of association differ by gender Cross-sectional study of 8904 non-agricultural workers (48% women) based on the I Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health of 2011. Employment profiles were created combining formal and informal characteristics: labour relationship (permanent employees, temporary employees, self-employed, employers), social security coverage (yes, no), type of contract for employees (written, oral or no contract), company size for employers (≤5, >5 workers). Using logistic regression models, odds ratios (OR) of poor mental health (measured by GHQ12 questionnaire) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by sex, adjusting for country and age, with employment profiles as independent variable. The reference group was permanent employees covered by social security with a written contract. Around 37% of women and 34% of men reported poor mental health. In both sexes all profiles without social security coverage were associated with poor mental health except for permanent employees. Temporary employees covered by social security were associated with poor mental health if they have oral or no contract for women and men. Covered permanent employees with oral or no contract among women (OR: 1.70, 95% CI:1.12-2.59) and covered self-employed among men (OR: 1.59, 95% CI:1.03-2.46) were associated with poor mental health. In Central America health inequalities by employment profiles exist, principally for not being covered by social security, or having an oral or no contract for employees (main characteristics of informal employment). Few gender inequalities have been found.
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2014
Precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important social determinant of health inequali... more Precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important social determinant of health inequalities among workers. The way in which contemporary employment arrangements and their health consequences are addressed in empirical research is mostly based on the contract-related or employment instability dimension. A broader conceptual approach including various important characteristics of the degrading of employment conditions and relations is needed. The general objective of this paper is to empirically test a new multidimensional construct for measuring precarious employment in an existing database. Special focus is on the social distribution of precarious employment. A subsample of 21,415 participants in the EU-27 from the Fourth European Working Conditions Survey-2005 was analysed. A cross-sectional study of the social distribution of precarious employment was conducted through the analysis of proportional differences according to gender, social class and credentials for the Euro...
Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2012
International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, 2011
Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdevelop... more Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdeveloped issue in public health. Existing research has identified unemployment as an important social determinant of health inequalities. This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of unemployment on mental health outcomes among vulnerable groups, using the 2006 Catalonian Health Survey (N=8591). The authors estimate the prevalence ratios and differences (excess of prevalence) for poor mental health in the unemployed and employed, with 95 percent confidence intervals. After taking into account the interactions among social mechanisms of inequality and related factors, the authors identified seven vulnerable groups to monitor. Primary findings indicate that unemployment has a greater adverse effect on the mental health of male manual workers, single mothers, main-earner women, and manual workers without unemployment benefits for both sexes. Findings support the need to devote more resea...
Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdevelop... more Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdeveloped issue in public health. Existing research has identified unemployment as an important social determinant of health inequalities. This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of unemployment on mental health outcomes among vulnerable groups, using the 2006 Catalonian Health Survey (N=8591). The authors estimate the prevalence ratios and differences (excess of prevalence) for poor mental health in the unemployed and employed, with 95 percent confidence intervals. After taking into account the interactions among social mechanisms of inequality and related factors, the authors identified seven vulnerable groups to monitor. Primary findings indicate that unemployment has a greater adverse effect on the mental health of male manual workers, single mothers, main-earner women, and manual workers without unemployment benefits for both sexes. Findings support the need to devote more research to the surveillance of unemployment as a social determinant of health inequalities, to identify additional unemployment indicators, and to consider how various social mechanisms of inequality interact with each other to produce health inequalities among vulnerable groups.
The European Journal of Public Health, 2013
Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyse the relationship between health sta... more Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyse the relationship between health status and paid working hours and household composition in the EU-27, and (ii) to examine whether patterns of association differ as a function of family policy typologies and gender. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey of 2010. The sample included married or cohabiting employees aged 25-64 years from the EU-27 (10,482 men and 8,882 women). The dependent variables were self-perceived health status and psychological well-being. Results: Irrespective of differences in family policy typologies between countries, working long hours was more common among men, and part-time work was more common among women. In Continental and Southern European countries, employment and family demands were associated with poor health status in both sexes, but more consistently among women. In Anglo-Saxon countries, the association was mainly limited to men. Finally, in Nordic and Eastern European countries, employment and family demands were largely unassociated with poor health outcomes in both sexes. Conclusions: The combination of employment and family demands is largely unassociated with health status in countries with dual-earner family policy models, but is associated with poorer health outcomes in countries with market-oriented models, mainly among men. This association is more consistent among women in countries with traditional models, where males are the breadwinners and females are responsible for domestic and care work.
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2014
To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Cen... more To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Central America; and to examine whether patterns of association differ by gender Cross-sectional study of 8904 non-agricultural workers (48% women) based on the I Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health of 2011. Employment profiles were created combining formal and informal characteristics: labour relationship (permanent employees, temporary employees, self-employed, employers), social security coverage (yes, no), type of contract for employees (written, oral or no contract), company size for employers (≤5, >5 workers). Using logistic regression models, odds ratios (OR) of poor mental health (measured by GHQ12 questionnaire) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by sex, adjusting for country and age, with employment profiles as independent variable. The reference group was permanent employees covered by social security with a written contract. Around 37% ...
International Journal of Health Services, 2019
This study aims to assess differences in the working population of Chile under the definition of ... more This study aims to assess differences in the working population of Chile under the definition of informal employment. A new categorization of informal employment is proposed, with a focus on social protection as a key element in the definition of informal employment status, thereby making visible different groups of workers that until now remained hidden. From a mixed methodological strategy that combines literature review, key informant interviews, and quantitative data analysis, the researchers seek to understand the complexity of the social phenomenon of informality.
International Journal of Health Services, 2016
This article reports evidence gained by the SOPHIE Project regarding employment and labor market-... more This article reports evidence gained by the SOPHIE Project regarding employment and labor market-related policies. In the first step, quality of employment and of precarious and informal employment in Europe were conceptualized and defined. Based on these definitions, we analyzed changes in the prevalence and population distribution of key health-affecting characteristics of employment and work between times of economic prosperity and economic crisis in Europe and investigated their impact on health outcomes. Additionally, we examined the effects of several employment and labor market-related policies on factors affecting health equity, including a specific analysis concerning work-related gender equity policies and case studies in different European countries. Our findings show that there is a need to standardize definitions and indicators of (the quality of) employment conditions and improve information systems. This is challenging given the important differences between and within European countries. In our results, low quality of employment and precarious employment is associated with poor mental health. In order to protect the well-being of workers and reduce work-related health inequalities, policies leading to precarious working and employment conditions need to be suspended. Instead, efforts should be made to improve the security and quality of employment for all workers.
Social Science & Medicine, 2016
The changing nature of employment in recent decades, due to an increased emphasis on flexibility ... more The changing nature of employment in recent decades, due to an increased emphasis on flexibility and competitiveness in European labour markets, compels the need to assess the consequences of contemporary employment situations for workers. This article aims to study the relation between the quality of employment and the health and well-being of European workers, using data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey. A typology of employment arrangements, mapping out employment quality in the European labour force, is constructed by means of a Latent Class Cluster Analysis. This innovative approach shows that it is possible to condense multiple factors characterising the employment situation into five job types: Standard Employment Relationship-like (SER-like), instrumental, precarious unsustainable, precarious intensive and portfolio jobs. Binary logistic regression analyses show that, controlling for other work quality characteristics, this employment quality typology is related to self-perceived job satisfaction, general health and mental health. Precarious intensive jobs are associated with the worst and SER-like jobs with the best health and well-being situation. The findings presented in this study indicate that, among European wage workers, flexible and de-standardised employment tends to be related to lower job satisfaction, general health and mental health. The quality of employment is thus identified as an important social determinant of health (inequalities) in Europe.
International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, Jan 15, 2016
The aim of this article is to explain the results of the SOPHIE project regarding the effect of g... more The aim of this article is to explain the results of the SOPHIE project regarding the effect of gender policies on gender inequalities in health in Europe. We start with the results of a systematic review on how gender regimes and gender equality policies at the country level impact women's health and gender inequalities in health. Then, we report on three empirical analyses on the relationship between different family policy models existing in Europe and gender inequalities in health. Finally we present four case studies on specific examples of gender policies or determinants of gender inequalities in health. The results show that policies that support women's participation in the labor force and decrease their burden of care, such as public services and support for families and entitlements for fathers, are related to lower levels of gender inequality in terms of health. In addition, public services and benefits for disabled and dependent people can reduce the burden place...
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the quality of employment conditions and employment ... more This report provides an in-depth analysis of the quality of employment conditions and employment relations in the European employed workforce. Employment in the report is viewed as the contractual relationship between an employer and a worker, specifically how the rights and duties embedded into the relationship are translated into real rights. The analysis is mainly based on data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), conducted in 2010. Where appropriate, comparisons with earlier waves of the EWCS are made. An executive summary is also available.
Introduction Informal employment has been conceptualised as an employment condition and as a soci... more Introduction Informal employment has been conceptualised as an employment condition and as a social determinant of health because of its impact on self-reported health and health inequalities. However, currently evidence on the effects on health is scarce and its definition remains unclear. The aim of this study was to propose a new conceptualization of the working population in Chile, in order to make visible different groups of workers in informal employment, focusing on social protection as a key element in the definition of informal employment status.
Methods We developed a mixed strategy combining a literature review, key informant interviews and epidemiological analysis. We reviewed scientific and grey literature (documents from international organisations and public institutions). Ten interviews were conducted with persons from different backgrounds and approaches to the Chilean labour market. To describe the groups from a social protection perspective, we analysed data for 8,357 workers from the first Chilean work, employment health and quality of life survey (2009–2010).
Results Based on the information gathered, the following five variables were selected to generate, in combination, 13 groups of workers: status in employment, contractual status and workplace for dependent workers, educational level for self-employed and number of employees for employers. The social protection status of these 13 groups was analysed based on contribution to pensions scheme as a central axis, aiding to identify them as formal or informal.
Conclusions This new classification makes it possible to unravel groups of workers who had been previously excluded by dichotomist approaches to informal employment, confirming that a more nuanced approach is required to overcome the invisibility of certain types of workers, which may otherwise have important consequences on their health. Having a more precise classification leads to an improved measurement of informal employment and a better understanding of its impacts on population health.
While most countries have imposed austerity policies that risk jeopardizing the progress towards ... more While most countries have imposed austerity policies that risk jeopardizing the progress towards gender equality, there are examples of European regions that have maintained or strengthened gender-equality policies in a climate of economic downturn. Following a realist approach and adopting Kingdon's agenda-setting model as our framework, this explanatory case study examines how, why and under which circumstances the gender budgeting strategy has resisted austerity measures. This strategy represents a key tool for gender mainstreaming in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. Results have shown that the existence of a strong left-wing government is a necessary context for the maintenance of gender equality policies. The feasibility given by the previous context of institutionalization of this strategy and its low cost, together with political commitment — with a decisive contribution from female leadership — have been the major factors allowing the maintenance of the gender budgeting strategy in Andalusia.
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2014
To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Cen... more To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Central America; and to examine whether patterns of association differ by gender Cross-sectional study of 8904 non-agricultural workers (48% women) based on the I Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health of 2011. Employment profiles were created combining formal and informal characteristics: labour relationship (permanent employees, temporary employees, self-employed, employers), social security coverage (yes, no), type of contract for employees (written, oral or no contract), company size for employers (≤5, >5 workers). Using logistic regression models, odds ratios (OR) of poor mental health (measured by GHQ12 questionnaire) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by sex, adjusting for country and age, with employment profiles as independent variable. The reference group was permanent employees covered by social security with a written contract. Around 37% of women and 34% of men reported poor mental health. In both sexes all profiles without social security coverage were associated with poor mental health except for permanent employees. Temporary employees covered by social security were associated with poor mental health if they have oral or no contract for women and men. Covered permanent employees with oral or no contract among women (OR: 1.70, 95% CI:1.12-2.59) and covered self-employed among men (OR: 1.59, 95% CI:1.03-2.46) were associated with poor mental health. In Central America health inequalities by employment profiles exist, principally for not being covered by social security, or having an oral or no contract for employees (main characteristics of informal employment). Few gender inequalities have been found.
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2014
Precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important social determinant of health inequali... more Precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important social determinant of health inequalities among workers. The way in which contemporary employment arrangements and their health consequences are addressed in empirical research is mostly based on the contract-related or employment instability dimension. A broader conceptual approach including various important characteristics of the degrading of employment conditions and relations is needed. The general objective of this paper is to empirically test a new multidimensional construct for measuring precarious employment in an existing database. Special focus is on the social distribution of precarious employment. A subsample of 21,415 participants in the EU-27 from the Fourth European Working Conditions Survey-2005 was analysed. A cross-sectional study of the social distribution of precarious employment was conducted through the analysis of proportional differences according to gender, social class and credentials for the Euro...
Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2012
International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, 2011
Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdevelop... more Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdeveloped issue in public health. Existing research has identified unemployment as an important social determinant of health inequalities. This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of unemployment on mental health outcomes among vulnerable groups, using the 2006 Catalonian Health Survey (N=8591). The authors estimate the prevalence ratios and differences (excess of prevalence) for poor mental health in the unemployed and employed, with 95 percent confidence intervals. After taking into account the interactions among social mechanisms of inequality and related factors, the authors identified seven vulnerable groups to monitor. Primary findings indicate that unemployment has a greater adverse effect on the mental health of male manual workers, single mothers, main-earner women, and manual workers without unemployment benefits for both sexes. Findings support the need to devote more resea...
Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdevelop... more Surveillance of social determinants of health inequalities is an essential but still underdeveloped issue in public health. Existing research has identified unemployment as an important social determinant of health inequalities. This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of unemployment on mental health outcomes among vulnerable groups, using the 2006 Catalonian Health Survey (N=8591). The authors estimate the prevalence ratios and differences (excess of prevalence) for poor mental health in the unemployed and employed, with 95 percent confidence intervals. After taking into account the interactions among social mechanisms of inequality and related factors, the authors identified seven vulnerable groups to monitor. Primary findings indicate that unemployment has a greater adverse effect on the mental health of male manual workers, single mothers, main-earner women, and manual workers without unemployment benefits for both sexes. Findings support the need to devote more research to the surveillance of unemployment as a social determinant of health inequalities, to identify additional unemployment indicators, and to consider how various social mechanisms of inequality interact with each other to produce health inequalities among vulnerable groups.
The European Journal of Public Health, 2013
Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyse the relationship between health sta... more Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyse the relationship between health status and paid working hours and household composition in the EU-27, and (ii) to examine whether patterns of association differ as a function of family policy typologies and gender. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey of 2010. The sample included married or cohabiting employees aged 25-64 years from the EU-27 (10,482 men and 8,882 women). The dependent variables were self-perceived health status and psychological well-being. Results: Irrespective of differences in family policy typologies between countries, working long hours was more common among men, and part-time work was more common among women. In Continental and Southern European countries, employment and family demands were associated with poor health status in both sexes, but more consistently among women. In Anglo-Saxon countries, the association was mainly limited to men. Finally, in Nordic and Eastern European countries, employment and family demands were largely unassociated with poor health outcomes in both sexes. Conclusions: The combination of employment and family demands is largely unassociated with health status in countries with dual-earner family policy models, but is associated with poorer health outcomes in countries with market-oriented models, mainly among men. This association is more consistent among women in countries with traditional models, where males are the breadwinners and females are responsible for domestic and care work.
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2014
To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Cen... more To analyse the relationship between mental health and non-agricultural informal employment in Central America; and to examine whether patterns of association differ by gender Cross-sectional study of 8904 non-agricultural workers (48% women) based on the I Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health of 2011. Employment profiles were created combining formal and informal characteristics: labour relationship (permanent employees, temporary employees, self-employed, employers), social security coverage (yes, no), type of contract for employees (written, oral or no contract), company size for employers (≤5, >5 workers). Using logistic regression models, odds ratios (OR) of poor mental health (measured by GHQ12 questionnaire) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by sex, adjusting for country and age, with employment profiles as independent variable. The reference group was permanent employees covered by social security with a written contract. Around 37% ...