You have to work more than men to succeed! Gender differences in workaholism among Italian academics

Abstract

Over the last decades, Italian university reforms have put increased pressure on academics and researchers towards greater productivity and accountability. These changes have generated an ‘overtime culture', which is one of the main determinants of workaholism, over-commitment, and presenteeism among academics. The consequences of such changes are not gender-neutral: women – more often disadvantaged in academic careers than men – might be more affected by increased work pressure and more likely to work excessively to avoid career penalties. By using an original web-survey of about 1300 academics from four Italian universities, this article investigates gender differences in workaholic behaviours (i.e., working at night, on Sundays, etc.), and their link with the way researchers perceive the recruitment processes and gender disparities. The authors found that women are more workaholic than men, and this is explained by perceptions of gender equality in their working environment.