By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Who works longer hours in the office ― men or women?
It is a tricky and debate-stirring question, but a report released Monday claims that twice the number of woman compared to men dash out of the office when the clock ticks time up.
Incruit, a local online recruitment site, asked 1,045 working men and women what time they usually take off for home after work, and the results showed that 24.5 percent of women said at the end of the official working day, while less than 13 percent of men said they left on time.
In the meantime, 15.5 percent of men said they leave the office three hours past the official end of the working day, while less than 8 percent of women said they stay late.
Based on the survey, men would appear to work longer than women ― but what is the reason behind the purported imbalance?
Chung Jae-hun, a spokesman for Incruit, says that although the survey didn't delve into why male workers were putting in more hours, the extra work could be down to the greater pressures men deal with in the workplace.
``Men are still considered the main breadwinners of the family, so that pushes them more to mingle with their colleagues and build relationships with their bosses in the office since all of that counts toward one's career progression,'' he said, pointing out that another recent poll showed that men were more anxious about possible layoffs than women.
Incruit asked 949 working professionals how they feel about potential layoffs, and the results showed that more than 52 percent of men were suffering from anxiety, while 44 percent of women were feeling uneasy.
Chung added that the traditional practice of handing more work to men could also be a reason for their longer hours.
``Gender equality in the workplace has improved significantly, but still, there are still many bosses who tend to give more work to their male subordinates,'' he said.
While women call it a day earlier, the latest Incruit poll indicated that 35 percent of workers, both men and women, have recently seen their hours increase within the past year.
The biggest reason turned out to be tense office atmospheres, followed by more tasks requiring urgent attention and a shortage of staff due to recent layoffs.