Are there more female or male workaholics?

[noname223]

Maybe this thread is no good idea. Maybe it only reinforces stereotypes.
Here two sources.

Gender Bias in the Measurement of Workaholism - PubMed

Past research suggests gender differences in workaholism might be due to differences in how men and women respond to the item content in workaholism measures. Using item response theory differential item functioning, we show women are less likely to report some workaholism items, leading to...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Gender differences in workaholism and work-related variables

The term ‘workaholism’ was first coined by Wayne Oates (1971), and since then it has been conceptualized in a variety of ways. Most researchers agree, however, that a defining feature of workaholism is that it involves an inner compulsion to work, in which people constantly think about work...

www.journalssystem.com

My initial thought was there might be more male workaholic concerning paid work. And women have more unpaid carework instead.

The two sources suggest there are more female workaholics.

Here a quote.
"Females and males were found to differ on workaholism. Women were significantly higher on average in workaholism than men (a significant difference appeared in two of the five components: Overdoing and Emotional Arousal/Perfectionism). Females also reported higher levels of maladaptive perfectionism, which is considered as a workaholic job behavior."

Why do I think about that? I am kind of a workaholic too. And this is not something to be proud of. Despite the society preaches that. However compared to my past self I have made a lot of progress.

In college I think I am often the most motivated person in the room. My OCD concerning perfectionism and my anxiety to fail push me a lot. I have a huge urge to work and learn stuff. So far that it decreases my life quality a lot. But I try to control it somewhat in order to prevent a new mental breakdown.

I had this question when I talked to a woman in college. She seemed to be way more motivated than the rest. But honestly I am going way further (concerning studying) than her. So far that I am kind of ashamed.

I ask myself the hypothetical question how a potential girlfriend of mine should be like. Honestly I think I might be unmatchable. So I will probably never leave this forum. I think parallels between her and me could be helpful. An interest in education, politics, the trait conscientiousness, same values, no party or drug girl. I could also imagine that mental illness could be a uniting characteristic. I am not sure whether I should look for someone who is similar or different to me. Though I think this is all sadly only a thought experiment. My suicide in the coming years seems to be more likely than finding a gf.

I know this was a lot of off-topic. I just asked myself whether two workaholics would fit.

Maybe some more thoughts on the core of this thread. I think I might be an extremely ridiculousy anxious workaholic. My grades are very good though I am always genuinely extremely anxious to fail the exams. In my head I often already plan to leave college when I fail the exam. My anxiety level goes through the roof.
My biggest impulse is my severe anxiety to fail.

In the highest positions of companies you will find statistically more men. But it is wrong to conclude that men work harder. The men often team up together and women have it harder to succeed because of it.

I have huge respect for women who are single parents and raise their kids. It must be pretty hard to battle poverty and raising a child by your own. My mom was overburdened with working and raising children. The result was decade long abuse.

 

[MidnightDream]

I do feel like women in general are engrained to believe that they have more to prove in the workplace, particularly in industries traditionally dominated by men

 

[Celerity]

Just based on my own anecdotal experience, the workaholic men I know have been more willing to sacrifice their home life to advance at work, but workaholic women are just as emotionally wounded by failing at work if not more. This appears to jive with some of the research you linked in terms of women reporting more perfectionist tendencies.

At my workplace, all of the male managers save one tend less toward micromanagement, and they also pick up more shifts. I have yet to see a female manager do a close/open of the store, but I have seen every single one of the men do it, some multiple times. Though I generally like a more laid-back management style (and so get along with the men better), I generally prefer to be trained by my female managers because they spend more time with you and focus on the details.

I do not always get along with my store manager, but I feel for her when the district managers give her trouble, usually about the dumbest possible things that have no bearing on the actual operation of the store. She has a reputation for being a hardass, and no one likes to close with her because of how high her standards are and how detailed she is. The management team above her only exaggerates her worst tendencies.

Though I would like to think I would be more likeable than her, I'm not sure I would. Under pressure, I share many of her worst qualities. I am also not sure if I would like to lead a team of mostly men. I have had run-ins with some of my more misogynistic coworkers who can't be attracted to a woman and respect her at the same time. My store manager is attractive but very conservative and reserved. I am morbidly curious about her own horror stories from when she was a young woman.