A new study by the Association for Project Management (APM) has found that two-thirds (66%) of female project professionals have experienced stress as a result of their main project.

When asked what had contributed to their stress levels, the factors most-frequently cited by women were:

• Work/life balance suffering due to their main project (cited by 42% of female respondents)
• Feeling they have too much to do (cited by 39% of female respondents)

Within the construction sector, 59% of project professionals (regardless of gender) who responded to the survey say their main project has caused them to feel stressed.

APM’s Women in Project Management Special Interest Group (WiPM SIG), founded in 1993, provides a network of support to all women working in project management including events, networking, personal development and an active social media community.

WiPM’s network actively promotes investment in gender diversity and supports women, at whatever stage in their career, addressing the demands imposed on those working in the project profession, from stress management through to project leadership.

WiPM also hosts an annual Women in Project Management Conference, which will take place on 24th September 2020 at the QE2 Centre, London. The conference will see a host of inspirational speakers talking about a diverse range of topics relevant to women in the project profession.

Debbie Dore, APM’s chief executive, said: “Project-based work in the construction sector has long been characterised as time pressured, fast-paced and dynamic. Its professionals typically encounter high expectations and severe pressure to deliver projects on time and within budget, and to reconcile changes.

“With mental health awareness increasing, it is important that we, as a professional body, take a closer look at what steps can be taken to make improvements in this area

 “APM has created a taskforce, working with corporate and other organisations to develop initiatives around wellness for the profession, to facilitate discussions and developing improvements. Our WiPM community is part of that.

“Our activities for women in the profession, such as our WiPM conference and specific interest group , will continue to promote mental health awareness and provide a valuable network of support to female project professionals.”