Female freelancers that avoid office politics and have more autonomy have better heart health. Image source: Photo by: Kaboompics.com
Ever wondered if ditching the 9-to-5 grind might actually be good for your health? A major new study suggests it could be. At least if you’re a woman.
New research reveals that self-employed women have significantly lower cardiovascular disease risks. Many freelancers might be surprised at these findings because they are often juggling multiple projects, clients and business problems. Cortisol levels are running high even a the best of times.
However, researchers analysing health data from nearly 20,000 Americans found that self-employed women had markedly better cardiovascular health than their traditionally employed counterparts. The findings, published in BMC Public Health, could have significant implications for how the UK approaches workplace health policies.
Heart health benefits
The numbers are pretty striking. Among women who work for themselves, researchers found:
- 7% lower obesity rates compared to employees
- 7% less physical inactivity
- 9% better sleep patterns
- Better dietary quality overall
“The flexibility that comes with self-employment seems to create space for healthier habits,” explains the research team. When you control your own schedule, you’re more likely to find time for cooking proper meals, exercising, and getting enough sleep.
For men, the benefits were more modest. Self-employed men showed better diet quality and lower blood pressure, but the differences weren’t as dramatic as they were for women.
Why women benefit more from self-employment
The researchers suggest several reasons why women might see bigger health advantages from self-employment. Traditional workplaces often create particular stress for women juggling work and family responsibilities. Being your own boss can help resolve those conflicts.
There’s also the discrimination factor. For women and ethnic minorities, self-employment might provide an escape from workplace bias, reducing chronic stress that can damage heart health over time.
Interestingly, the study found no health benefits for self-employed men from ethnic minority backgrounds, suggesting that structural barriers might prevent some groups from accessing entrepreneurship’s advantages.
Specifically, the research has shown that compared to white individuals, people of colour earn less, are evaluated as “less knowledgeable and less effective”, have fewer promotion prospects, have less job security, and report lower levels of job satisfaction.
The report said, “This study starts to lay the foundation for future studies that may shed light on how the psychosocial experience of work contributes to higher cardiovascular disease risk for many people of colour and subsequently strategies to remediate this risk.”
What this means for UK policymakers
With around 15% of UK workers now self-employed, these findings raise important questions about how we support different types of workers’ health.
The NHS could start factoring employment type into cardiovascular risk assessments. If being traditionally employed increases certain health risks, particularly for women, that’s worth knowing about when screening patients.
More importantly, the research suggests we could bring some of the self-employment benefits into regular jobs. Think flexible hours, more autonomy over how and when work gets done, and genuine work-life balance policies.
The report’s researchers suggested, it is “unrealistic to expect that all women will become self-employed; however, it may be worth considering how some of the positive features of self-employment such as increased autonomy and flexibility, may be imported into the wage-employment context.”
He researchers also said, “Flex-time (a work arrangement that allows employees to choose the start and end time for their workday) is a strategy used by some employers to promote employee autonomy and allows employees some measure of control in their work schedule.”
Is there a link between healthy people and freelancing?
Before everyone rushes to hand in their notice, it’s worth noting this study can’t prove that self-employment causes better health. It’s possible that healthier people are simply more likely to start their own businesses in the first place.
The research was also done in the US, where healthcare access and workplace cultures differ from the UK. But the core insight is crucial and that is how we work affects how healthy we are.
As work continues to evolve, with more people demanding flexibility and control over their schedules, understanding these health connections becomes important as we get older or experience stress-related or workplace stress. The evidence suggests that giving workers more autonomy isn’t just good for job satisfaction, it might be good for their hearts, too.
For policymakers, the message is clear: workplace flexibility and freelancing aren’t just a nice-to-have. It could be a genuine public health intervention, particularly for women who currently face higher cardiovascular risks in traditional employment settings.
