Here’s on Burnout in the Boardroom: Why Women Executives Are at Greater Risk
In the high-stakes corporate game of leadership, success carries a silent cost — burnout. And for women leaders, it is an even higher cost. Even as they have shattered glass ceilings and broken down barriers, they still endure chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and the certain cost of having to prove themselves constantly in male territory.
The Double Burden of Leadership
Women managers usually have double burdens — managing heavy-stress professional work in addition to domestic work, care work, and social work. The “do-it-all” burden presses down on men doing the same job but never alone. Women executives have been discovered to have spent much more time on unpaid domestic work despite being CEOs of corporations. All this constant toggling goes to make production of stress and leaving one with little room to recharge or catch one’s breath.
The Pressure to Prove
Even when they finally make it to the C-suite, most women are forced to re-prove themselves before they will be taken seriously. The “prove-it-again” bias makes them work longer hours, deliver more projects, and keep themselves squeaky clean — all out of a need for a sense of sanity. The truth? Emotional burnout disguised as ambition.
Workplace Culture and Gender Bias
Organizational cultures that blame workers for putting in overtime and being always available disproportionately impact women. Women leaders will often reserve openness and seeking assistance, fearing it will be seen as an example of weakness. Additionally, overrepresentation at the top will often mean fewer mentors and sponsors attuned to these specific issues, further isolating.
The Cost of Ignoring Burnout
Untreated burnout harms personal well-being — it erodes organizational well-being. Burned-out leaders are worse decision-makers, are less innovative, and exit their positions earlier. For organizations that are achieving progress toward more balanced gender leadership, that turnover can erase years of diversity and inclusion gains.
Conclusion: Women’s executive burnout is not weakness or a measure of individual shortcoming but evidence of a disbalance in the system. Real gender equality in leadership is better than tokenism — it’s making room for women to lead without burnout. With the shifting business landscape, shines a light on and treats this silent crisis as the tipping point in constructing more, better leadership.
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