Causes and Perceived Impacts of Occupational Stress among Female College Teachers in Faisalabad, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study examined the perceived causes and impacts of stress among female college teachers in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. The study focused on the top three private colleges in the district, namely Shiblee College, Punjab College, and Superior College, which together comprised a population of 180 female teachers. A sample of 123 respondents was selected through stratified proportionate sampling. Data were collected through a well-structured and pretested questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that most respondents were young to middle-aged, unmarried, academically qualified up to M.Phil. level, and had less than ten years of teaching experience. Workload emerged as the leading cause of stress, followed by difficulty in balancing work and personal life, lack of institutional support, hefty goals and targets, and low income or salary. The results further showed that these same factors had the strongest perceived impact on teachers’ mental well-being. Grading and assessment, administrative responsibilities, and job insecurity also contributed noticeably to stress, while student behavior, inflation, involvement in irrelevant duties, and research and publications were perceived as relatively less influential. The study concludes that stress among female college teachers is largely rooted in organizational, institutional, and workload-related conditions rather than individual or student-related factors alone. It is recommended that college administrations ensure fair workload distribution, strengthen institutional support, set realistic targets, improve salary structures, and promote work–life balance to reduce stress and enhance teachers’ professional well-being.