Workers’ perspectives on women’s role in society may explain a gender gap in job burnout, according to a new study led by a University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economics professor.
“Women are more likely than men to report physical and emotional exhaustion related to paid work,” said Benjamin Artz. “While this gender gap in job burnout is common in the literature, the mechanism is yet to be thoroughly understood.”
Benjamin Artz
Artz teamed with researchers Ilker Kaya and Ozgur Kaya from the American University of Sharjah on the study published recently online in the Review of Economics of the Household.
The researchers used U.S. survey data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce that is rich in job and personal information to test whether theoretically relevant factors explain the gender gap in job burnout, which can include a lack of energy and feeling overwhelmed.
The researchers found that the gender gap in burnout remained after they accounted for other factors, such as income level, a spouse’s ability to work and a flexible work schedule.
“Our study offers a novel, and admittedly provocative, explanation for the difference in burnout between men and women,” Artz said. “We find that workers’ perspectives regarding women’s role in society drive a large gender gap in job burnout.”
Specifically, only women with “traditional” gender role perspectives on work are significantly more likely than men to report job burnout, he said.
Women who hold a traditional perspective but nevertheless find themselves working for pay in the labor force may experience an expectations mismatch. Those with a more progressive perspective may consider having a career to be an important role in their life and prefer spending more time in paid work.
Artz said employers should recognize that both of these perspectives exist and should avoid passing women up for advancement by assuming they may experience burnout. On the other hand, they should be aware that men may be more reluctant to seek help if they are experiencing burnout.
“Providing support and resources to transform perceptions and attitudes regarding gender roles may help to reduce job-related burnout resulting from a mismatch between expectations and paid work experiences,” he said.
Artz, who serves as chair of UW Oshkosh’s economics department, earned the John E. Kerrigan Endowed Professorship Award in 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Wisconsin Lutheran College and master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from UW-Milwaukee.
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