Find out why women in tech burned out during pandemic
Women in technology are burned out from the pandemic – especially those working with male bosses – according to a global report published by nonprofit Girls in Tech.
The report shows the “devastating” impact of COVID-19 crisis on women in the technology sector. Particularly alarming, according to the report’s authors, is the high rate of burnout among working women with male bosses. Startling data suggest that women who work under male bosses have a higher rate of burnout than those working under female bosses.
“The results from our study were abundantly clear: Women in technology are burned out from COVID-19,” said Adriana Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Girls in Tech. “Organizations must realize this is at crisis level.”
“We were particularly stunned to learn the impact a supervisor’s gender had on women’s burnout rate,” Gascoigne added, urging organizations “to acknowledge this disparity, dig deeper to better understand the issue and take real, meaningful action toward positive change.”
The leading cause of burnout? Male bosses
The report titled “The Tech Workplace for Women in the Pandemic”, which was undertaken by nonprofit “Girls in Tech”, looked at the ways the NGO’s 40,000 members were coping during the pandemic. So, why is it that women in tech are burned out during pandemic?
The study found that male bosses are the leading cause of the burnout.
- 63% of respondents with male bosses said they felt burnt out, compared to 44% of those with female bosses feeling wearied.
- 85% of those respondents who are employees at organisations where executives were men reported burning out, compared to 15% of employees at companies where the executive was a woman.
- Almost 3 in 4 respondents with dependents at home said it was difficult to juggle work and home responsibilities, while 4 in 5 of the same cohort said they were burned out.
Despite the reported “burn-out”, a whopping 93% said they felt lucky to have a job.
Burnout is also connected to the closure of offices, schools and day care, according to Gascoigne. “Every household is different in the sharing of responsibilities, but women spend more time than men on childcare, as a caregiver, and on housework,” she recently wrote in Ms Magazine. “This equates to a part-time job on top of an already 40-hour work week.”
Women prefer working from home
The study also found that among full-time employees, 76% reported that they preferred working from home over working in the office.
“Perhaps it’s fortunate that many women in the study don’t anticipate returning to the office in-person once pandemic restrictions are lifted,” Gascoigne says.
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