The Impact of Work on Mental Health and Burnout in Women

Mental health and job burnout are critical issues affecting women in both professional and domestic settings. This study examines the differences in mental health and job burnout between working and non-working women using an independent sample t-test. A sample of 200 women (100 working and 100 non-working) from Gondia was selected through non-probability purposive sampling. The Mental Health Battery (MHB) by Singh & Gupta (2000) and the Job Burnout Scale by Zaki Akhtar were employed to measure psychological well-being and burnout levels, respectively. The findings indicate that working women exhibit significantly better mental health (M = 119.63, SD = 4.52) than non-working women (M = 111.33, SD = 4.63, t = 9.07, p < 0.01). However, job burnout was significantly higher in working women (M = 104.53, SD = 5.02) compared to non-working women (M = 96.37, SD = 4.58, t = 8.49, p < 0.01). The results suggest that while employment provides psychological benefits, it also increases stress levels, leading to burnout. The study underscores the need for work-life balance strategies and stress management interventions for working women, while also emphasizing mental health support for non-working women facing isolation and economic dependence.