Fresh research from Westfield Health reveals that in specific professions, women experience burnout at almost double the rate of their male counterparts. Across all professions, two in five women in the UK are experiencing burnout frequently or constantly, compared to under a third of men. Women in the health and social care sector, including nurses, care workers, and social workers, recorded the highest burnout rate at 49%.
Women in trade, transport and hospitality, such as retail and hospitality workers, had a burnout rate of 48%. Women working in public administration and education sectors, including teachers and civil servants, had a burnout rate of 43%. When life factors beyond the workplace were factored in, the disparity in burnout rates between women and men grew even more pronounced.
Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion, driven by sustained stress, that can affect your ability to work, your relationships and your physical health, according to a Westfield Health expert. A wellbeing specialist, Cathy Lawson, noted that nurses, teachers, care workers and those in customer-facing jobs are giving a lot of themselves every single day. Lawson explained that when you combine that sustained emotional output with limited flexibility, fewer recovery opportunities, and significant responsibility without commensurate support, the conditions for burnout are very easy to create.
Many women are managing a second, invisible workload outside of their jobs: caring responsibilities, household management, emotional labour for family and friends, Lawson said. Early symptoms of burnout include tiredness, low motivation and irritability, and burnout can be tricky to spot. Many women fail to recognize the warning signs of burnout until significant damage has occurred.
The exact burnout rates for men in the high-risk sectors mentioned, such as health, education, and hospitality, have not been specified in the research. Concrete steps or interventions recommended to prevent burnout in these professions remain unclear from the available data.