Background: Considering recent suggestions that the same work heaviness should be made admissible for women and men, a study has been undertaken to assess to what extent does the fatigue, in terms of total index of physiological cost of work, differ in women and men performing a job of the same heaviness or at the same level of workload (%VO2 max).
Material and methods: The study group consisted of 147 women and 114 men performing jobs with dominant share of physical effort employed in a post-office, a chemical plant and a cold store. Their energy expenditure during work were determined and their maximum oxygen intake were assessed from the results of stress test. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect information about self-assessed work heaviness, work fatigue (0-100 scores) and chronic fatigue (Checklist Individual Strength--CIS20R Questionnaire), and also about frequency of abandoning, because of fatigue, some daily chore or "just for pleasure" activity.
Results: Mean energy expenditure during a work day in the study group of women was 504 kcal, while for men the respective value was 1204 kcal; the workload (%VO2 max) being 17.8% and 20.6%, respectively. However, the distribution of self-assessed work severity, work fatigue and chronic fatigue was similar in both groups, while the increase in work fatigue and chronic fatigue with growing energy expenditure was higher in women than in men. The frequency at which women and men abandoned their pleasure-motivated activities was similar; as to the "daily chore" activities, women used to abandon these more frequently than men, and they did so at a lower level of fatigue.
Conclusions: Abolition of the regulations that prevent free accessibility of women to jobs requiring high physical effort is not advisable because it would result in their increased fatigue; it may also limit their ability to perform non-occupational duties as well as impair their health condition.