Gender Differences in Workplace Burnout among Chennai Employees: Job Stress Mediation and AI-Enabled Stress Monitoring

Abstract

Workplace burnout is a major occupational health concern, yet the mechanisms through which gender is associated with burnout remain insufficiently examined in Indian organizational settings. This study investigates gender differences in workplace burnout among employees in Chennai, India, and tests whether job stress mediates that relationship. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 300 employees across multiple sectors. Gender group was treated as an observed categorical variable, while job stress and workplace burnout were measured using validated multi-item scales. The proposed mediation model was grounded in Job Demands-Resources theory and Conservation of Resources theory, both of which explain how sustained work demands and resource depletion contribute to burnout. The findings indicate that gender-group differences are associated with variation in burnout and that job stress is a significant positive predictor of workplace burnout. The indirect path from gender group to burnout through job stress was also significant, suggesting partial mediation. These findings imply that burnout is shaped not only by direct gendered differences in workplace experience but also by differential exposure to stress. The study contributes to the burnout literature by providing evidence from an Indian urban context and highlights the need for gender-sensitive organizational interventions focused on workload, support systems, and stress prevention.