Chronic illness and women: a model of disclosure at work

Abstract

The paper examines the factors which form part of the decision process, undertaken by women with chronic illness, when considering the disclosure of information about their chronic illness in their workplace. A model is presented based on the individual’s assessment of, the risks of disclosure, risks of non-disclosure and the influence of personal preferences for privacy or openness, which form the basis for decisions regarding disclosure. A number of factors are assessed by women when considering disclosure and these can be broadly grouped into: expected management and peer support, stigma associated with illness, severity or variability of illness, individual labour market power, institutionalised contingent flexibilities, institutionalised non-contingent flexibilities and outside influences such as caring responsibilities. The various aspects of this model and the relationship of each of these factors to the disclosure decision, will be assessed on the basis of the preliminary data drawn from a study on the workforce outcomes of women with chronic illness. The use of the model to interpret the qualitative data shows that disclosure decisions are influenced by a broad number of factors. Each of these factors need to be considered during in the process of evaluating the risk of disclosure or non-disclosure of a chronic illness in the work environment.