*2.2. Burnout and Women in the Nonprofit Sector*

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in September 2020 that the COVID-19 recession has been tougher on women, with a disproportionately negative effect on women and their employment opportunities [26]. According to The Independent Sector 30 June 2022, Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector, a reported 67.9 percent of the nonprofit workforce in the United States were women [19]. Additionally, this figure jumped to almost 70% in the healthcare industry [19]. In 2020, The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that women were at the center of the global pandemic shouldering much of the burden associated with COVID-19 [27]. In the OECD community, just over 60% of public sector workers are women, and roughly 70% are in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden (OECD, 2019) [27]. A study of the motivation of volunteers in Bahrain and Bangladesh found that in collectivist Islamic societies, women made up a large percentage of volunteers during the COVID-19 crisis. "The motivations behind the young women volunteering in Bahrain also appear to be associated with a sense of

obligation, a desire to place the interests and benefits of the community and nation before their own, and a willingness to sacrifice self-interest for the greater common good" [28] (p. 14). Additional research showed that omen in the nonprofit sector were also susceptible to a heightened risk of job and income loss, inequities at work, increased violence and abuse, and additional caregiving responsibilities at home [27], all of which contribute to the phenomenon of burnout. As we know today, COVID-19 harmed the health, social, and economic well-being of people worldwide, and at the center of the fight against COVID-19 were women in the nonprofit sector.

During the COVID-19 crisis, most schools worldwide were closed indefinitely. One study showed that 73.5 million children in the United States are under 18. Of these, 30 percent live in single-parent households. The current crisis affects single mothers more significantly. If all schools in the U.S. are closed for an extended period and single mothers cannot work, these children are at risk of living in poverty. There is little room for alternative arrangements in the COVID-19 crisis [29].

Bandali (2020) posited gender stereotypes in NGOs depicted women in the nonprofit sector as self-sacrificing, caring, and nurturing. These perceptions of women impact their emotional and physical health as they take on overwork leading to burnout. In the study of Malaysian women in the nonprofit sector, Bandali found that they worked with little remuneration, were often exhausted, received little accolades, and rarely thought about their care. Furthermore, Bandali found that the working culture mantra, *the work is good*-*the work always comes first*, leads to women exiting the sector contributed to the phenomenon of burnout [30]. A study of aid workers, where over three-quarters of those that took the survey were female, found that 79% of the 754 respondents stated they had experienced mental health issues. The research results showed little gender differentiation, with half of the contributors reporting they experienced panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.

Young's (2015) study submitted that staff welfare often took a backseat to taking care of clients [31]. Severe stress and high ideals in helping professionals who sacrifice themselves for others often experience burnout, exhaustion, and inability to cope [31]. A study of 3542 Utah women, of which 65.3 percent of the population worked in classified IRS tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, reported mental decline, burnout, and exhaustion from additional responsibilities in the home [32]. In a study by Kannampallil et al., (2020) on how exposure to frontline healthcare workers contributed to physician trainee stress and burnout, 66% of the resident respondents were female. Kannampallil's study showed that the exposed group experienced perceived stress regarding childcare, reported lower work-family balance, interference with family life, and more difficulty taking time off to attend to personal or family matters. Additionally, stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, and low professional fulfillment from clinical work activities were prevalent, with women trainees more likely to have higher stress levels [33].

In a qualitative study of healthcare workers in Iran, burnout emerged as one of the three main themes [34]. The study showed that increased workload, reduced family relationships, and a lack of motivational factors contributed to burnout. Moreover, in a survey of physicians, law enforcement, and clergy located in two southwestern states in the United States, of which 105 participants were women, results showed emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment, and factors of burnout were predictors of low career commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic [35]. The research in this article contributes to a better understanding of how the phenomenon of burnout affects women at the organization's micro, mezzo, and macro levels.

#### **3. Results and Recommendations**

As researchers interested in organizational leadership, we wanted to understand the phenomenon of burnout in women in nonprofit organizations, report the results, and make recommendations on the research findings. The results and recommendations are presented at an organization's micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
