Women in health care suffer burnout disproportionately to men

A recent study found that nearly half of female U.S. health care workers experienced burnout.

Mounting evidence finds that women working in health care are experiencing disproportionately more feelings of burnout during the pandemic, as they're more likely to carry primary responsibility of family care such as meal preparation, shopping and family activities -- on top of caring for their patients.

A recent study in The Lancet found nearly half of female U.S. health care workers -- 49.4% -- experienced burnout, compared to 41.5% of men. Also more common among women was self-reported prevalence of some mental health issues, with 39.3% of women reporting experiencing anxiety and depression, compared with 26.4% of men. On the flip side, more men -- 55.5% -- said they felt valued by their organizations, compared with 45.9% of women.

"Before the pandemic, I had some work-home balance and was beginning to experience some burnout, but this was magnified during the pandemic," said Dr. Maritza Brown, a board certified nephrologist and associate program director of inpatient medicine at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York. She was a physician on the front lines at Elmhurst, one of the hardest hit hospitals during the onset of the pandemic.

During the initial rise of the novel coronavirus, Brown found herself in a difficult situation of caring for many sick patients on the front lines, then coming home after a demanding hospital shift to carry out her responsibilities as a mother. Luckily Brown's family stepped up for her, including her sons, who helped take care of the housework before she got home from her shifts.