A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF EMPLOYED WOMEN IN RELATION TO SELECTED DEMOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES IN A SELECTED COLLEGE OF NURSING, KANNUR

Bindumol K. Thomas* and Dr. Amita Paul

ABSTRACT

A descriptive study was conducted to assess the emotional intelligence of employed women in relation to selected demographical variables at Crescent College of Nursing, Kannur. A non-experimental descriptive research design is used for this study. A purposive sampling technique is used to select the 100 employed mothers of B.Sc. Nursing students. The tools used include a demographic variable questionnaire and a standardized emotional intelligence assessment developed by Dr Nicola Schutte. Reliability was tested by calculating Cronbach’s alpha. Data was collected from March 7, 2023, to April 10, 2023, after obtaining prior permission from the concerned authority following the PTA meeting held at Crescent College of Nursing, Kannur. Informed consent was obtained from the participants, and ethical considerations were followed. Approximately 25 to 35 minutes were taken to complete the questionnaire. The study surveyed 100 employed women. Most were aged 46–55, highly educated (84% graduates or professionals), and from nuclear families (82%). Most were middle-class (94%) and predominantly Hindu (64%). Common occupations included government (38%) and professional jobs (36%). The analysis reveals that most employed women display strong emotional intelligence, with the majority agreeing or strongly agreeing on their ability to perceive emotions, manage their own and others’ emotions, and utilize emotions effectively. The analysis shows a significant association between education and emotional intelligence among employed women. Higher education levels are linked to a better perception of emotions, managing one's own and other's emotions, and utilizing emotions effectively, as indicated by chi-square values and p-values below 0.05. The study highlights that most employed women exhibit strong emotional intelligence, with education significantly enhancing all its dimensions. However, family type, financial status, and religion (except for managing own emotions) showed no significant association. These findings suggest that education-focused interventions can improve emotional intelligence, benefiting women's personal and professional lives.

Keywords: Emotional intelligence, Employed women, demographic variables.