Women are more likely to be addicted to work, study suggests

Preliminary results of a global study led by Polish academics on work addiction – defined as the compulsive need to work or engage in work over a long period of time – suggest women are more likely to be work addicted. Australian research lead Rachael Potter from the University of South Australia said workplace culture is one of the leading contributors to work addiction. Dr Potter said managers, people with a demanding job and family members addicted to work were at increased risk of becoming work addicted. ABC News notes that about 24% of Australians fall into this category. “In terms of the sample, we were one of the highest cultures that showed work addiction,” Dr Potter said. “If your co-workers . . . if your manager was kind of reinforcing you working late at night, they’re all going to contribute to feed that behaviour.” Australia had the second highest prevalence of occupational depression, at 11%.