Examining the Gendered Nature of Mental Health Issues, Leaves of Absence & Return to Work Experiences from a Comparative Perspective

About Us

Our Partnership is the first interdisciplinary, collaborative, comparative research initiative examining the gendered experiences of mental health, leave of absence and return to work for professional workers.

We bring together academic researchers, worker representatives, unions, professional associations, employers, service providers, insurers, policy-makers, and other stakeholders across the following domains:

1) healthcare, including dentists, midwives, nurses and physicians;

2) education, including professors and teachers; and

3) finance, including accountants.

In addition to cutting across labour sectors, these professions also differ by work context and gender composition which likely impact their experiences. We take an explicit gender perspective in the collection and interpretation of the data gathered, which we will augment with a broader intersectionality lens and life course approach.

Comparing across knowledge worker groups, locations and employing mixed-methods will allow us to address critical knowledge gaps in a truly ground-breaking partnership research program.

We integrate our partners throughout the entire research process beginning with co-developing the research foci, accessing existing and collecting new data, interpreting the findings, and translating the knowledge into more effective and equitable leave of absence and return to work policies, practices and programs.