Extension request avoidance predicts greater time stress among women

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Gender Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Gender disparities persist in workplace stress and burnout.
• Adjustable deadlines can exacerbate time stress, particularly for women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors predicting gender differences in time stress and burnout.
• To investigate the role of requesting deadline extensions in these differences.
• To test an organizational intervention to mitigate gender disparities.

Main Methods:

• Nine studies utilizing archival data, surveys, and experiments.
• Analysis of factors predicting gender differences in time stress and burnout.
• Examination of women's reluctance to request deadline extensions.

Main Results:

• Women are less likely to request deadline extensions under adjustable deadlines.
• Discomfort in asking for extensions uniquely predicts time stress and burnout.
• Fear of penalty and burdening others underlie women's reluctance.
• Formal extension processes reduce gender differences in requesting time.

Conclusions:

• Women's hesitation to ask for extensions contributes to gender disparities in time stress and burnout.
• Organizational interventions, such as formal extension processes, can effectively reduce these gender differences.