According to Tebra's 2025 Physician Burnout Survey, women physicians report significantly higher levels of burnout symptoms across nearly every category compared with men. The survey included 219 United States-based healthcare providers practicing in independent practices across 6 specialties, and found that women overall are more likely to experience mental, physical, and emotional fatigue, as well as loss of motivation and interest.

This article examines why women carry a heavier physician burnout burden, how specialty choice and compensation intersect with work-life demands, and what private practices can do to address the gap through technology, policy, and culture changes that benefit everyone.

TL;DR: Women physicians experience burnout at significantly higher rates than men. The gap is consistent across mental, physical, emotional, and cognitive measures.

According to Tebra research, women physicians report burnout at rates that are 20%-60% higher than their male colleagues. The higher rates of physician burnout persisted across nearly every category, including:

For example, 69% of women compared to 45% of men report experiencing mental fatigue, while physical fatigue strikes 64% of women versus 41% of men. And the gap persists in emotional exhaustion, 61% vs. 42%, and cognitive issues, 30% vs. 12%.

Only 6% of women physicians report no burnout symptoms at all, compared to 22% of men — nearly 4 times as many. This pattern continues across specialties, practice settings, and career stages, which means the difference isn't explained by women choosing different paths. 

Kristin Trick, a mental health practitioner and private practice owner, explains the disproportionate impact of burnout on women: "Generally speaking, women have a natural inclination and ability for nurturing. We care with our whole being, which gives us a lower threshold for burnout."

The higher burnout rates stem from 3 overlapping pressures: Documentation burden that extends work into evening hours, disproportionate domestic responsibilities that create a "second shift," and systemic workplace inequities that compound daily stress.

Documentation and charting, along with difficult patients, ranks as the #1 burnout driver, with 16% of physicians identifying it as their top stressor. One study published in JAMA, found that women physicians spent 40%-217% more time than their male counterparts in their EHR after hours on both clinic and non-clinic days.

The extra time shows up in what physicians call "pajama time" — charting after the family goes to bed. An issue driven by the need for extensive documentation, without sufficient time.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that women employed full-time spend 8.5 additional hours per week on childcare and domestic activities compared to their partners. This "second shift" creates chronic time pressure and eliminates opportunities for recovery activities that can help prevent burnout. 

Additionally, juggling professional and family responsibilities adds another layer of stress. Many specialties offer limited part-time options, forcing women into all-or-nothing career decisions when flexible arrangements could provide more balance and allow them to continue practicing.

Dr. Soma Mandal, medical director of Women’s Health at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, notes that "women physicians often carry an added layer of invisible labor — emotional availability, caregiving expectations, and the pressure to ‘hold it together’ for everyone else. That cumulative load shows up as deeper mental and emotional exhaustion, not because women are less resilient, but because they’re often giving more of themselves across every part of the day.”

Another study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that female primary care physicians (PCPs) spent nearly 16% more time with patients per visit than male PCPs, yet generated 10.9% less revenue from office visits. Current reimbursement through Evaluation and Management (E&M) coding doesn't capture time spent communicating with patients, which means women often do more work for the same pay.

Research published in JAMA Network found that women concentrate in lower-paying specialties like primary care, pediatrics, and psychiatry, while men are overrepresented in higher-paying procedural fields. And the payment gap is growing. For more than half of the specialties represented in the study, the size of the payment gap between male and female physicians was greater in 2020 than in 1993. With male physicians being paid $1.30 for each dollar paid to female physicians in 2020, and $1.27 for every dollar paid to female physicians in 1993.

Callout: Does specialty explain the burnout gap? In Tebra’s survey sample (6 specialties), the higher symptom burden reported by women persisted across specialties — suggesting the divide isn’t only explained by specialty choice.

EHR systems contribute to burnout through clunky interfaces, excessive documentation requirements, and time-consuming workflows that keep physicians tied to computers instead of with patients. Research findings indicate that the higher amount of time women physicians spend in EHRs is partly due to patients disclosing more medical information to female physicians and sending them more messages — leading to more comprehensive documentation.

AI-assisted documentation and automation can reduce after-hours charting. While voice-to-text capabilities, smart templates, and clinical decision support cut time spent searching for information and formatting notes. And when documentation happens during or immediately after the visit, physicians can reclaim their evenings.

TL;DR: The highest-impact interventions reduce after-hours documentation, improve schedule predictability, and remove friction from daily admin work — without penalizing physicians for using flexibility.

Private practices have more flexibility than large health systems to implement targeted changes. Flexible scheduling — including part-time positions, job sharing, and predictable hours — allows women to better balance professional and family responsibilities. The key is making more flexible arrangements available, without career penalties.

Technology that automates administrative tasks provides immediate relief from top burnout drivers. These innovative solutions include:

Additionally, mentorship programs can connect women physicians with senior colleagues who navigated similar challenges. While peer support networks can create space to discuss common issues without judgment, and leadership development programs help prepare women for advancement opportunities.

Addressing gender-based burnout requires both individual action and organizational change. Women can set boundaries and seek mentorship, but individual efforts alone can’t overcome structural problems like compensation inequity or inadequate parental leave. Organizations can implement supportive policies, but they fail if physicians don't feel safe using them without career consequences.

Technology provides real and measurable relief from the top burnout drivers that disproportionately affect women. And everyone benefits when documentation takes less time,  administrative tasks happen automatically, and  teams can focus on patient care instead of fighting disconnected systems.