In the ever-competitive world of business, stress is not experienced solely by men. In 2022, female workers faced the challenge of managing stress levels while meeting the demands of their jobs.

Their numerous challenges included the dangers of heavy workloads, poor work environments in the global economic slowdown, and increased caregiving responsibilities.

What follows is a detailed look at the stress statistics for working women in 2022.

 

Female Work Stress Statistics in 2022

 

Key Stats

  • According to Deloitte’s ‘Women @ Work’ 2022 survey, more than half (53%) of women experienced more stress in 2022 than the last year, while almost half (46%) of women reported burnout at the workplace.

 

  • As per Hologic’s data, the overall stress among women has increased by up to 1%, between 2020-2021, compared to men. In contrast, the overall stress among females is 4% higher than among males.

 

  • According to a survey by BetterUp in 2021, 17% of female workers were on “the edge”, 17% dealt with a great deal of tension in their daily lives, and 28% of women experienced daily stress.

 

  • As per Deloitte’s 2022 survey, the burnout levels were high for female employees in middle management roles and those aged 18-25 years.

 

What is Workplace Stress, and How Does It Affect Female Workers?

The following definition is from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It has the authority to promote and coordinate international public health efforts.

WHO defines work-related stress as follows:

“Workplace stress is the reaction individuals may experience when faced with job demands and pressures that exceed their skills and capabilities, hindering their ability to manage effectively.”

Work-related stress can be harmful in many ways, including mental and physical. It affects both males and females.

To find out how stress relates to female workers, let’s look at the following data by Deloitte.

Deloitte is an international professional services network that offers a range of services. It has worked for the last 175 years and has more than 415,000 service providers globally. They provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services to clients from various industries.

Deloitte surveyed 5,000 working women in 2022, and here are the outcomes:

  • More than half (53%) of women said they experienced more stress than the last year.
  • Almost half (46%) of women reported burnout at the workplace.
  • 33% of female workers took time off from work because of mental issues related to jobs.

Moreover, only 43% of women were comfortable talking about the work-related stress challenges they met at the workplace.

But some statistics also show a positive picture.

For example, 39% of female workers rated their mental health as good/very good (slightly improved from the previous year). Similarly, 44% of women employees said they got enough support from their employers regarding mental health.

What is Workplace Stress and How Does It Affect Female Workers

 

Are Female Workers More Stressed Than Males?

The statistics in the introduction show that female workers are facing stress at an alarming rate, and it is increasing. But what are stress levels among females compared to males?

To find out more, let’s look at the following 2021 global report by Hologic.

Hologic is a medical technology company that produces diagnostic and surgical products for women’s health. In 2020, they launched the “Hologic Global Women’s Health Index” to research women’s health. It provided annual comprehensive data from women’s perspectives on their health with the help of Gallup.

According to their data from 2021, women’s overall stress, sadness, worry and anger levels had increased by up to 1% between 2020-2021. At the same time, the overall stress among females was 4% higher than among males.

Here is a further breakdown of their data pertaining to 2021:

  • Regarding unemployment, 50% of females experienced stress, while 39% of males were stressed.
  • In terms of full-time employment, stress was more common in 46% of women, while 38% of men faced stress.
  • For part-time workers who also wanted to work full-time, the prevalence of stress was 45% in females compared to 46% in males.
  • 43% of females and 35% of males were stressed regarding full-time self-employment.
  • Out of the employees who only worked part-time and didn’t want to work full-time, 38% of women were more stressed, compared to men, whose stress levels stood at 30%.
  • Lastly, for those who didn’t work at all, the stress ratio was 33% for females and 27% for males.

Are Female Workers More Stressed Than Males

Simply put, women generally faced more stress than men, regardless of their employment status. The exception was only for workers who worked part-time and wanted to work full-time. In this case, men were more stressed (46%) than women (45%).

Another report that confirms that females experience more stress than males is from BetterUp. They surveyed 584 working parents in December 2021 and classified the results based on gender.

BetterUp is a coaching and mental wellness platform that provides employees with personal coaching and self-care resources to improve their well-being and performance at work.

According to BetterUp’s 2021 survey, this is how stress affects males vs females:

  • 17% of female workers said that they were on edge, while only 6% of the males experienced the same.
  • 17% of female workers reported dealing with a great deal of tension in their daily lives. On the other hand, only 9% of males agreed with this statement.
  • When it comes to experiencing daily stress, 28% of women said that they often feel stressed out compared to 11% of men who felt the same.

Overall, among females and males, the former was the most affected sect from work-related stress. Even when the above data was separated based on male-dominated vs non-male-dominated industries, women were at the top in reporting stress.

 

What Industries Have the Most and Least Stressed Female Workers?

Though the above data suggested that female workers experienced more stress than males, there are also some industries where women faced less stress than men. Let’s look at both:

 

The Most Stressful Industries for Women

According to statistics compiled by Catalyst in 2021, women were less likely to work in male-dominated professions. Any profession with 25% or fewer women is considered male-dominated.

As of 2020, only 6.5% of females worked full-time in male-dominated occupations. These industries included finance, IT, mechanical engineering, and construction.

Catalyst is a global nonprofit organization that works to advance women in the workplace through research, education, and advocacy initiatives.

As per an article by Emerald Insight published in February 2022, women who worked in the IT industry suffered more stress than those in teaching and government jobs.

Emerald Insight is a leading provider of research and scholarly journals, books and case studies in management, engineering, library and information science, health care, and more.

 

Cross-Referencing the Most Stressful Industries with the Ones Women Dominate

However, if we want a detailed analysis, we can look at the top 10 most stressed jobs and compare them with the jobs females dominate.

Here are the top 10 most stressed jobs.

  1. Financial manager
  2. Lawyer
  3. Physician
  4. IT manager
  5. Patrol officer
  6. Construction manager
  7. Anesthesiologist
  8. Sales manager
  9. Financial analyst
  10. Security guard

The above data is taken from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. News also used this data, and their article was published in March 2022.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a government agency that collects and analyses data on employment, wages, inflation, and other economic indicators in the United States.

The following is a list of professions dominated by females.

  1. Personal care workers (88%)
  2. Health associate professionals (76%)
  3. Cleaners and helpers (71%)
  4. General and keyboard clerks (71%)
  5. Health professionals (69%)
  6. Teaching professionals (68%)
  7. Customer service clerks (66%)
  8. Other clerical support workers (61%)
  9. Food preparation assistants (60%)
  10. Personal service workers (56%)
  11. Legal, social, and cultural professionals (56%)
  12. Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals (52%)
  13. Business and administration associate professionals (52%)
  14. Sales workers (52%)
  15. Food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workers (51%)

This list is compiled from data taken from an article published by the International Labor Organization (ILOSTAT) on March 6, 2020.

 

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes social justice and decent working conditions globally. ILOSTAT is their official data and statistics hub. It provides access to a wide range of labor statistics, including employment, unemployment, wages, working conditions, and social protection.

Let’s compare both lists:

  • Health professionals are the 5th most female dominant profession. Since physicians also fall under this industry, any woman working as a physician can be assumed to be in a high-stress occupation.
  • Legal and related professions have a 52-56% prevalence of women. Lawyers are the second most stressed profession on the list. Therefore, females working as lawyers are in a high-stress job.
  • Careers in business and administration have up to 52% females. We can assume the jobs related to financial management are in the business category, a highly stressful industry. Business and administration are thus high-stress professions for women.
  • Sales management is also a stressful job. Since sales workers are its sub-type, this industry also makes it a stressful job for female employees.

In short, health professionals, law and related jobs, business and administration associate professionals, and sales workers are the industries with the most stressed female workers.

industries with the most stressed female workers

 

Least Stressful Industries for Women

Contrary to the above statistics, there are also less stressful jobs for female workers. The list of these professions was made by BuzzFeed and published on 1 September 2022.

BuzzFeed is an American online news and entertainment company. It publishes articles, lists, quizzes, and videos on various topics, including pop culture, news, politics, and lifestyle.

As per their article, the following is a list of 10 low-stress jobs for women:

  1. UX designer
  2. Esthetician
  3. Registered nurse
  4. User experience researcher
  5. Store Manager
  6. Translator
  7. Academic coach
  8. Payroll Compliance Specialist
  9. E-commerce manager
  10. Pre-sales consultant

 

What Causes Stress for Female Workers?

The pressures and demands of the modern workplace can take a toll on anyone. However, for female workers, the sources of stress can be particularly complex and multifaceted.

Better Health Channel enlisted some factors that cause stress for employees, regardless of gender.

The Better Health Channel is an Australian online resource that provides health information for the general public. It is fully funded and managed by the Victorian Government.

Some of these factors they mentioned are given below:

  • Deficiency of necessary tools
  • Prolonged working hours
  • Scarcity of necessary materials
  • Overbearing workload
  • Substandard work surroundings
  • Internal organizational shifts
  • Pressured time constraints
  • Altered job responsibilities
  • Uncertainty about job stability
  • Limited freedom in decision making
  • Unengaging tasks
  • Inability to fully utilize one’s skills
  • Excessive monitoring

However, a few questions can arise. Do female employees face the same causative factors for work stress as mentioned above? If not, how do they differ?

The American Psychological Association suggests that men and women may respond to stress differently. Females are more likely to report stress-related symptoms than males.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is a professional organization representing psychologists in the United States. With more than 146,000 members, it aims to advance psychology as a science and profession and provides education, research, and advocacy to promote psychological well-being.

According to a report by Advent Health published in May 2022, the common cause of stress for female workers is related to workload.

Advent Health is one of the largest hospitals in the United States. It is known for its advanced medical technology and experienced medical staff.

Similarly, corporate Wellness Magazine enlisted three factors as the causative agents for female workplace stress.

Corporate Wellness Magazine is a publication focused on providing information and resources to promote health and well-being in the workplace.

These factors are as follows:

1.   Heavy Workloads

Heavy workloads can cause stress in working females, leading to an imbalance between work and personal life, causing exhaustion, burnout, and an inability to manage competing demands and responsibilities.

 

2.   Pay Gap

The pay gap between men and women can cause stress for working females as it can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression and can also result in financial difficulties. This can create a sense of inadequacy and insecurity in their abilities.

 

3.   Poor Work Environment

A poor work environment can contribute to stress in working females by creating factors such as sexual harassment, non-comfortable social interaction, and abuse. All these factors can lead to frustration, helplessness, and burnout.

What Causes Stress for Female Workers

 

How Do Female Workers Handle Stress?

LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index surveyed 4,958 LinkedIn members to find out their stress levels and how they are coping with them. LinkedIn performed the survey between July 31 and Aug. 13, 2021.

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows users to connect with colleagues, industry peers, and potential employers. LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index measures job market sentiment, reflecting the level of optimism or pessimism among LinkedIn members regarding their job prospects and the overall economy.

As per this survey, females employed opted for these stress-coping approaches to handle their stress:

  • 63% of women said they took or were planning to take time off.
  • 45% of female workers took breaks during the day.
  • 39% of women said that they end their day at reasonable hours.
  • 38% of women reported that they didn’t check work after hours.
  • 31% of female employees rejected the extra responsibilities.
  • 23% of women workers said they spoke with their colleagues about the stress.
  • 22% of females took advantage of employees’ mental health benefits.

 

Which Age Group of Female Workers is the Most Stressed?

While stress can affect female workers of all ages, certain age groups may be more susceptible to stress due to their unique challenges and responsibilities.

As per the Deloitte 2022 survey mentioned above, the burnout levels were high for female employees in middle management roles as well as those aged 18-25 years.

Similarly, a research paper titled “Latent Occupational Burnout Profiles of Working Women” was published in the National Library of Medicine by Maciej Załuski and Marta Makara-Studzińska on May 27, 2022.

As per this research paper, working women between the ages of 20 and 35 and over 55 faced higher levels of emotional exhaustion than others.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. It provides access to vast biomedical literature and serves as a resource for healthcare professionals and researchers worldwide.

The two reports above show that work-related stress was high among younger females. Although older female workers also showed the symptoms of stress.

Similarly, another report by CBS, published in December 2022, supports this statement. As per this report, work-related fatigue was present among 16% of female workers compared to 9% of male workers aged 15-24 years.

Which Age Group of Female Workers is the Most Stressed

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the statistics on stress experienced by female workers in 2022 demonstrated a clear need for further action and support to address their challenges in the workforce.

The data shows that women are disproportionately affected by stress and mental health issues. They reported 4% higher levels of stress than males in 2021.

Similarly, 53% of women experienced more stress than last year, while 46% reported burnout at the workplace in 2022. Women with the jobs of physicians, lawyers, and sales workers are the most affected by workplace stress.

These female employees mentioned that their top workplace stressors were heavy workloads, pay gaps, and a poor work environment. Teens and women under 25 showed symptoms of work-related fatigue and reported high burnout levels.