Women more likely to suffer burn-out symptoms than men

Women are slightly more likely to suffer from burnout symptoms than men, according to a study by Statistics Netherlands and TNO. Young women between the ages of 25 and 35 most often suffer psychological fatigue from work.  

Almost 15 percent of all employees in the Netherlands suffered burnout complaints in 2016. They felt emotionally exhausted by work at least a few times a week - they come home exhausted and drained, or have to convince themselves to get up and go to work in the mornings. According to the stats office, such complaints are more common as the number of hours worked in a week increase. Single people are also more likely to experience burnout symptoms that people who live with a partner or children or both.

Women between the ages of 25 and 35 are more likely to suffer burnout symptoms than women in other age groups and men. 18 percent of women in this age group had such complaints in 2016. The men in this age group are also more likely to experience a burnout than men in other age groups - 16 percent. According to the stats office, this is because people in this age group often work longer hours and are also more often single.

In all age groups, women experience burnout symptoms more often than their male counterparts. 

Statistics Netherlands attributes women suffering from psychological fatigued due to work more often to the fact that women more often work extra hard or very fast, or have a lot on their plate. They also less often feel that they have a say in how the work is done, or to determine the order or pace of the work. Women also more often work in healthcare and education, where relatively many employees have to work under pressure and experience low autonomy.