Female Labor-Force Participation as Suicide Prevention: A Population Study in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: Female labor-force participation (FLFP) has been theorized as contributing to higher suicide rates, including among women. Evidence on this relationship, however, has been mixed. This study explored the association between FLFP and suicide in an understudied context, Taiwan, and across 40-years. METHODS: Annual national labor-participation rates for women ages 25-64, and female and male suicide-rates, for 1980-2020, were obtained from Taiwan's Department of Statistics. The associations between FLFP rates and sex/age-stratified suicide-rates, and between FLFP rates and male-to-female suicide-rates ratios were assessed via time-series regression-analyses, accounting for autoregressive effects. RESULTS: Higher FLFP rates were associated with lower female suicide-rates (ß = -0.06, 95% CI (Credibility Interval) = [-0.19, -0.01]) in the adjusted model. This association held in the age-stratified analyses. Associations for FLFP and lower male suicide-rates were observed in the ≥45 age-groups. FLFP rates were significantly and positively associated with widening male-to-female suicide-rates ratios in the adjusted model (ß = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.59]). CONCLUSION: This study's findings suggest that FLFP protects women from suicide, and point to the potential value of FLFP as a way of preventing suicide. In Taiwan, employed women carry a double-load of paid and family unpaid care-work. Child care-work is still done by mothers, often with grandmothers' support. Therefore, this study's findings contribute to evidence that doing both paid work and unpaid family care-work has more benefits than costs, including in terms of suicide-protection. Men's disengagement from family care-work may contribute to their high suicide rates, despite their substantial labor-force participation.

Female labor-force participation (FLFP) has been theorized to increase suicide.Over time higher FLFP was associated with lower suicide, particularly in women.Higher FLFP was associated with widening male-to-female suicide-rate ratios.

Where do autistic people work? The distribution and predictors of occupational sectors of autistic and general population employees.

LAY ABSTRACT: Studies on employment of autistic individuals mainly assessed if they work and what their working conditions are (e.g. weekly hours, salary) while less is known about where they work. We explore this issue in our study, by examining which employment sectors do autistic adults work in, and comparing them to the general workforce in the Netherlands. We also explored the possibility that gender, age, age at diagnosis, level of education, degree of autistic traits and presence of focused interests could lead to a higher likelihood of working in specific sectors. We assessed data from a survey filled in by 1115 employed autistic adults (476 male; 627 female; 12 other; mean age: 40.75). Dutch workforce information was based on data form the Central Bureau of Statistics. Results showed that a higher proportion of autistic employees worked in healthcare & welfare, information technology, and the public-army-charity sectors. These were the three most-common sectors for this group. A lower proportion of autistic employees worked in economics & finances, and industry & construction, compared to the general workforce. Most autistic employees in the healthcare & welfare sector were females while having a higher educational degree and being male increased the chance of working in information technology. In addition to the common impression that most autistic individuals have interests or abilities that align with employment in information technology and technology sectors, we found that autistic employees worked in various sectors. It is important to address individual characteristics and needs of autistic individuals, while encouraging diverse employment opportunities.

Meaningful inclusion of people living with HIV as a model for workplace policies: Key findings from the project PEER study.

BACKGROUND: As a large number of people live with HIV, it is worthwhile to examine the integration of this group in the workplace. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the operationalization of GIPA/MEPA supports workplace policies and practices for PLHIV. The study aims to explore what is being offered to support PLHIV in community-based agencies and what can be done to enhance the offerings. METHODS: For this community-based research, 2 bilingual online surveys were sent to 150 Canadian organizations that work closely with PLHIV or offer support to them. One of the surveys was for Executive Directors of these organizations while the other was sent to peers; i.e. PLHIV whose job is to offer services to PLHIV. Questions in the surveys varied between open-ended, binary, and Likert. RESULTS: GIPA/MEPA are implemented in most organizations and Executive Directors affirmed that PLHIV and their impacts on the workplace are valued. There is a consensus among Executive Directors that formal support is provided but most respondents argued that this support is not specific for PLHIV. More than half of respondents were either unaware or uncertain about the existence of informal support. Peer-employees claimed that one of the challenges of disclosing HIV to receive peer support is that they may face stigma. CONCLUSION: The application of GIPA/MEPA results in positive outcomes in the workplace. The study emphasizes the need to facilitate access to informal support.

Long-Term Effect of Having a Child at Risk of Developmental Delays on Parental Labor Force Participation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the long-term influence of having a child at risk of different developmental delays (communication, mobility, self-care, relating, learning, coping, or behaving) on parental labor force participation as the child grows. METHOD: A retrospective cohort was conducted using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children survey, Waves 1-8 covering birth to 15 years of age of children. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to explore the odds ratio of mothers being out of the labor force at different children's ages. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to identify the 'risk' of mothers returning to the workforce after leaving. All models were adjusted for the mother's age, education attainment, and employment status at time of birth, as well as marital status at the current wave. RESULTS: There were 5,107 records of children, and 266 of them were at risk of any developmental delays at age 4-5 years. This sample represents 243, 026 children born in Australia in 2003/04. After adjusting for potential confounders, mothers of children at risk of each type of developmental delay (except mobility and self-care) had greater odds of being out of, and not returning to the labor force from children aged 2-3 to 14-15 years, when compared to mothers of children who are not at risk of developmental delays. Similar differences were found for fathers but were distinctly small and with narrower fluctuations, compared to mothers. CONCLUSION: Policies and programs funded by the government are greatly needed to support the mothers of children at risk of developmental delays.

Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Home Care Workers: A Qualitative Study.

This qualitative study aimed to gain insight into the impact of COVID-19 on Home Care Workers (HCWs). During COVID-19 HCWs provided a lifeline for home care clients to support older people remaining living in their own homes. With a high-risk client base, HCWs were one of the few (Health and Social Care Professional) HSCPs to continue providing home-based care throughout COVID-19. Despite these contributions HCWs provided for aging in place during COVID-19, a paucity of research exists in relation to the challenges and impact of the pandemic on HCWs. Three in-person focus groups were conducted (n = 23). Two main themes were produced guided by a Reflexive Thematic Analysis approach to enable the researchers to best represent the participants experiences: Challenges and concerns to the personal and private lives of HCWs and Navigating home-based complexities of HCWs workplace during COVID-19. health care challenges to minimize impact to HCWs issues to create a safe workplace for HCWs.

Describing Outcomes in Autistic Young Adults One Year After High School Graduation.

PURPOSE: Research documents poor outcomes for autistic adults in the domains of employment, independent living, and social relationships. Measurement and sample limitations in prior studies may have amplified past estimates of poor outcomes. The goal of the current study was to improve upon past approaches and to create and describe a measurement approach to capture adult outcomes that reflected the context of young adulthood and the perspectives of autistic individuals, pairing objective outcome indicators with subjective satisfaction indicators. METHODS: Thirty-six autistic young adults (mean age 19.8 years) and a parent completed self-report surveys. Using these data, we defined an objective and subjective (i.e., satisfaction) outcome indicator in each of three domains: productivity (employment or post-secondary education), social well-being (frequency of contact with friends), and living situation (autonomy). RESULTS: Three-quarters of young adults experienced at least 5 out of 6 positive outcomes. Over 90% were engaged in school, work, or a structured transition program, and an equal percentage were satisfied with their productivity activity. Over three-quarters of adults had a good amount of contact with friends and were satisfied with their social life. Most young adults had a moderate level of autonomy in their daily lives, and all were satisfied with their living situation. CONCLUSION: Tailoring outcome measurement approaches specifically for autistic young adults provided a more optimistic portrayal of outcomes than previously noted in the literature. The approach used better reflects a neurodiversity approach and may be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of transition services or interventions.

The health consequences of returning to work after retirement: Evidence from a Japanese longitudinal survey.

Prolonged and active old age provides individuals with more chances to work again after full retirement. Returning to work is an increasingly common form of the retirement process and influences the sustainability of social security systems. Previous studies show a beneficial relationship between returning to work and health; however, little is known about the causal effect of returning to work on health. This study used data from men and women aged 50 and older (11,991 individuals) in the Longitudinal Survey of Middle-aged and Older Adults, conducted annually from 2005 to 2019 in Japan. The effects of three types of labor force transitions (continued work, full retirement, and return to work) on physical and mental health were examined. To obtain the causal effects, an instrumental variable approach was used by exploiting the Japanese pension reform and labor market settings as instruments. Compared with full retirement, returning to work showed significantly worse mental health but no significant difference in physical health. The negative effect of returning to work was pronounced among men, former nonmanual workers, and low-wealth individuals. Contrary to the findings in previous studies, insignificant or detrimental effects of returning to work were found in this study. The rigorous causal analysis adds new evidence to the literature. The findings provide important implications for labor and health policy in aging societies.

The Development and Evaluation of a Cross-Context Employment Program for Autistic Adolescents.

Vocational programs typically focus on building the skills of autistic youth. However, there is growing recognition that the supportive environment (or ecosystem) around an individual plays an important role in finding and maintaining work. Programs at the ecosystem-level can be established by coordinating support before high school ends. Cocreation of a vocational program by support providers can facilitate an integrated effort to prepare autistic youth for employment. In this study, we describe and evaluate the Job-Train Program (JTP), a vocational program for autistic high school students codesigned with educators and a community-based social services agency. A school board, community-based social services agency, and academics partnered to cocreate JTP. JTP combined skill teaching and paid supported employment on a university campus. This pilot study evaluated JTP using qualitative and quantitative data. Twelve autistic youth were recruited, aged 15-18 years (10 males, 2 females) with an average intelligence quotient of 101.9 (standard deviation = 14.4), from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-2. Youth and parents completed self-report measures (pre-post), including the primary outcome, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Post-JTP, interviews, focus groups, and surveys collected additional information from youth (n = 11), parents (n = 10), job coaches (n = 5), and employers (n = 8). Youth COPM scores indicated significant improvements in self-perceived ratings of skill performance (z = -2.5, p = 0.01) and satisfaction (z = -2.6, p = 0.01). Qualitative data corroborated COPM results noting youth skill improvements in self-esteem, independence, communication, and understanding work. Findings demonstrated a promising vocational training model for autistic high school students informing the development of integrated service pathways to support preparation for employment.

Why was this program developed?: When autistic young people leave school, they can experience difficulties in getting a job. We need to test whether job training might be helpful for autistic young people when they are leaving school. Current support focuses mostly on developing educational skills, but it is important that we think about the strengths and abilities of the individual within their environment. In this study, we worked with educators from schools and a community service agency (who support autistic adults) to develop a job training support program for autistic youth. What does this program do?: We designed the 13-week Job-Train Program (JTP) to provide training and paid work experience, develop work abilities, and increase support around the autistic youth. Participants took part in weekly group sessions about work skills, and they did 8 weeks of paid work, supported by a job coach on a university campus. How did researchers evaluate the program?: Twelve autistic high school students (age 15­18) took part, and eight university departments hosted work experiences. We used several approaches to see if the program was helping and to identify areas where we could improve the program in the future. Ten parents and 11 autistic youth completed the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) before and after the program, so we could see if there were any changes in work-related skills. We also completed interviews with youth, focus groups with parents, and surveys with job coaches to gather feedback. What were the early findings?: Scores on the COPM questionnaire showed that the young people rated themselves as more skilled and they were more satisfied with their skills after the program. Parent ratings showed a similar pattern. When we spoke to youth, parents, and job coaches, they mentioned improvements in responsibility and independence. Eight employers in university departments gained awareness of autistic youth as employees and all were willing to be part of the program again. Parents suggested that having more training of advocacy skills would help youth with gaining work in the future. What were the weaknesses of this project?: We did not assess how well the job coaches did in delivering the program or exactly how they made accommodations within the work experience jobs. Autistic individuals and their parents were not included in program development. What are the next steps?: We now plan to include autistic youth and their parents in further refining the program. We also plan to follow up with the youth who took part, to see how they are doing in the long term. We also will improve the support provided by job coaches. How will this work help autistic adults now or in future?: The JTP approach may help autistic youth as they go into employment and could provide high-quality support for the transition to adulthood. We also show that university campuses could be great places for autistic youth to gain experience, so in the future hope that universities and schools work together more to help support autistic youth.

Coming out autistic at work: A review of the literature.

LAY ABSTRACT: Research consistently documents the poor postsecondary outcomes of autistic individuals. It is important to identify supports that help autistic individuals get and keep jobs to improve postsecondary outcomes. Autism diagnosis disclosure at work may serve as a support (e.g., receiving accommodations) or as a barrier (e.g., discrimination) to getting and keeping employment, but little is known about the lived experiences of autistic individuals on diagnosis disclosure at work. To better understand why individuals on the spectrum choose to pursue disclosure or choose not to disclose at work, how they disclose, and the consequences of that disclosure, a state-of-the-art literature review was conducted. Ten studies met the final inclusion criteria and were synthesized to provide guidance to autistic individuals, families, and professionals who support their transition to employment. Findings from the review indicate that diagnosis disclosure is a highly complex decision. Across reviewed studies, participants chose to pursue disclosure for specific reasons, including access to accommodations or support, increase understanding, and advocate for self or others. Autistic individuals participating across reviewed studies shared they chose not to disclose primarily due to fears of discrimination and experience of stigma. Both the hopes (access to accommodations and supports) and fears (bullying and discrimination) were validated in the experienced consequences of disclosure. More research is needed on the contextual experiences of how individuals on the spectrum disclose their diagnosis at work.

Workforce Participation and Mortality Risk Among Chinese Older Adults: A Nationwide Population-Based Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the association between workforce participation and mortality among Chinese older adults. METHODS: 6,138 participants aged 60 and older from the 2011 to 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were studied and 79.5% of the sample were rural Hukou. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations of work status, work types, and changes in work status with all-cause mortality. Cox models with penalized splines were performed to explore the dose-response relationship for hours worked per week and mortality. RESULTS: 37,235.3 person-years observed 1,165 deaths (19.0%). Working reduced the mortality risk in older adults by 41% compared with those who did not work (HR: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.50-0.69). This effect was consistent across subgroups. The mortality risk was lowest among self-employed older adults, followed by nonagricultural employment and then agricultural work, with adjusted HRs of (0.38, 0.21-0.70), (0.58, 0.36-0.93), and (0.61, 0.51-0.72), respectively. The mortality risk decreased with increasing hours of work per week and appeared to reach a threshold of about 45 hr of work per week. Compared with the older adults who continuously did not work, those who started and kept working had 28% (0.72, 0.53-0.97) and 48% (0.52, 0.41-0.65) lower mortality risks, respectively. When older adults transitioned from working to not working, the mortality risk would no longer be significantly different from that of older adults who were continuously not working (0.86, 0.65-1.12, p = 0.3). DISCUSSION: Workforce participation was associated with survival benefits among older adults in China.

Unequal Duties and Unequal Retirement: Decomposing the Women's Labor Force Decline in Postreform China.

The gender gap in labor force participation (LFP) in China has grown over the last 30 years, despite substantial advances in women's education and economic development. Previous research has identified gender discrimination and work-family conflicts as two key explanations for the gap, both of which have risen since the start of China's economic reform in 1978. Using multiple waves of the national census and household panel data from China, this research shows that one overlooked mechanism widening the LFP gender gap lies in the institutional constraints that require women to retire earlier than men. This research also demonstrates how the impact of women's early retirement on the LFP gender gap has been exacerbated by two societal-level changes: (1) population aging, which increased the share of women who reached the retirement age; and (2) economic development, which increased the number of women entering nonfarming occupations and, hence, the gender-based retirement system. These findings suggest that without significant revisions to China's retirement system, the LFP gender gap will continue to expand as the population ages and economic development proceeds.

Maternal health, well-being, and employment transitions: A longitudinal comparison of partnered and single mothers in Germany.

Balancing parenthood and employment can be challenging and distressing, particularly for single mothers. At the same time, transitioning to employment can improve the financial situations of single mothers and provide them with access to social networks, which can have beneficial effects on their health and well-being. Currently, however, it is not well understood whether the overall impact of employment on single mothers is positive or negative, and to what extent it differs from the impact of employment on partnered mothers. Building on the literature on work-family conflict, we investigate the differential effects of employment transitions on the health and well-being of single mothers and partnered mothers. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1992-2016), we apply panel regression techniques that address the potential endogeneity of maternal employment, as well as the dynamic nature of the relationship between employment transitions and maternal health and well-being. We find that employment has a positive impact on single mothers, and that single mothers benefit from employment significantly more than partnered mothers. Surprisingly, income does not appear to be an important driver of these results. Overall, our findings suggest that employment plays a key role in the well-being of single mothers.

Maternal Labor Force Participation During the Child's First Year and Later Separation Anxiety Symptoms.

Separation anxiety symptoms are frequent among preschool-aged children, but it is also a possible gateway for diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder. Early maternal employment after childbirth can increase the risk for the development of separation anxiety symptoms. From an economic perspective, however, securing employment is one effective strategy to ensure child well-being. This study investigated how mothers' participation in the labor force (vs. maternal leave) and the financial state of families when the child was 5 months old was prospectively associated with separation anxiety symptoms. This study is based on 1,295 Canadian families with children assessed longitudinally from 17 months to age 6 on their levels of separation anxiety. Separation anxiety was measured during face-to-face interviews with the mothers. Maternal labor force participation, financial status, and risk factors were measured at 5 months. Results adjusted for propensity scores and for sample weight revealed that children of working mothers, despite having sufficient income (n = 245, 18.9%), were at higher risk of separation anxiety during early childhood. In contrast, maternity leave was most beneficial for children's separation anxiety, whether they were in a family with sufficient income (n = 950, 73.4%) or temporary low income (n = 100, 7.7%). Children of mothers in maternity leave were at risk of heightened separation anxiety only if they experienced chronic economic hardship. Therefore, maternity leave uptake could help prevent the development of separation anxiety. Providing families with opportunity to care for the baby as their main occupation during this sensitive developmental period could help improve children's mental health.

COVID-19-associated income loss and job loss: Evidence from Indonesia.

COVID-19 pandemic has substantially altered socioeconomic conditions around the world. While numerous existing studies analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among developed states, little is known about its effects on people's lives and social discrepancies in emerging economies. To this end, we empirically analyze the 2020 Indonesian Labor Force Survey data, hypothesizing that COVID-19 has given idiosyncratic risks and impacts on people by gender, age, education, occupation and regions. We find that income loss and job loss are prominent among males, younger and less educated people as well as among self-employed and part-time non-agricultural workers. These tendencies are not pronounced for people enjoying high income and mobility, but tend to be evident for urban residents and those having dependents. Notably, self-employed people have the highest risk of losing income, while part-time urban workers face the highest probability of losing their jobs. The propensity score matching method also demonstrates that these losses are most evident for the regions susceptible to COVID-19. Overall, we suggest that socioeconomically disadvantaged groups require additional support to strengthen their resilience in the face of exogenous shocks, such as the one caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Breastfeeding and female labor force participation: the probability of survival of children in Nepal under 3 years old.

BACKGROUND: The number of breastfeeding mothers participating in a labor force to generate income has been increasing in Nepal. In this regard, the study aims to assess the survival of Under 3 children in Nepal from the mother based on their labor force participation and breastfeeding status. METHODS: Data for the study were obtained from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. The sample size of the study was 2,994 live births children, born in the last three years prior to the day of the interview. The robust hazard ratio and cox proportional hazard regression were conducted between dependent and independent variables with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to conclude. RESULTS: From a total of 2,994 live births, 85 children died within 36 months of birth. More than 80% of the non-working mothers were breastfeeding their children. The findings shows that the survival of children under-3 is positively associated with the interaction with the mother's work and breastfeeding status (Hazard Ratio 0.428, 95% CI 0.24, 0.75), family structure (Hazard Ratio 1.511; 95% CI 1.37, 1.655), relationship with the household head (Hazard Ratio 0.452; 95% CI 0.311, 0.65), wealth quintiles (Hazard Ratio 0.390; 95% CI 0.33, 0.46), caste (Hazard Ratio 0.652; 95% CI 0.60, 0.69), and religion (Hazard Ratio 2.015; 95% CI 1.09, 3.70) with model CI 95%, Log pseudo likelihood = -521.39236, prob. χ2 = 0.005 and time at risk = 52,748. CONCLUSIONS: The highest rate of child survival was from the working mothers as well as continuing breastfeeding their children followed by mothers breastfeeding the child but not working, compared to mothers working but not breastfeeding the child, and mothers who were neither working nor breastfeeding their children respectively. This study provides clear evidence that breastfeeding is very important for the probability of survival of the child aged below 36 months and work of mother also have some positive impact on child survival. Employers should be encouraged to have a breastfeeding policy in the workplace through the establishment of a breastfeeding facility, and a flexible work schedule. At the same time government should also regulate the paid maternity leave and encourage societal support for the breastfeeding mothers.

COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan.

This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected female employment in Japan. Our estimates indicate that the employment rate of married women with children decreased by 3.5 percentage points, while that of those without children decreased by only 0.3 percentage points, implying that increased childcare responsibilities caused a sharp decline in mothers' employment. Further, mothers who left or lost their jobs appear to have dropped out of the labor force even several months after school reopening. In contrast to women, the employment rate of married men with children was not affected, which hindered progress in narrowing the employment gender gap.

Level of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Its Relationship with Risk for Malnutrition in China's Adult Labor Force: China Nutrition and Health Surveillance, 2015-2017.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the fruit and vegetable intake status and examine both potential risk and protective action factors in the Chinese labor force population, while investigating the association between fruit and vegetable intake and malnutrition in this population. Data were derived from a population-based cross-sectional survey, the China Nutrition and Health Surveillance, 2015-2017. Sociodemographic information, physical measurements, and dietary intake data were collected. A total of 45,459 survey respondents aged 18-64 years old were included in the analysis. Fruit and vegetable consumption data were assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and the average daily intake was calculated. In 2015, the daily intake of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and combined fruits and vegetables among the Chinese labor force was 64.3 g, 210.0 g, and 330.0 g (median), respectively. Compared with the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022), 79.9% and 53.0% were at risk of inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, while 55.2% were at risk of inadequate intake of combined fruits and vegetables compared with the WHO recommendation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, higher educational level, and higher income were protective factors for adequate fruit intake, while increasing age and living in the southern region were protective factors for adequate vegetable intake. The results confirmed that increasing vegetable intake helped urban labor force maintain normal BMI and control overweight. Increased fruit consumption may reduce the risk of underweight, but no clear negative association with overweight and obesity was observed. In conclusion, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by the Chinese labor force was inadequate, especially for fruits. Interventions are needed to promote the daily intake of fruits and vegetables in this population. In addition, further in-depth studies in this area are recommended in populations with different health status.

Perceptions of Nurses Delivering Nursing Home Virtual Care Support: A Qualitative Pilot Study.

Avoidable hospitalizations among nursing home residents result in poorer health outcomes and excess costs. Consequently, efforts to reduce avoidable hospitalizations have been a priority over the recent decade. However, many potential interventions are time-intensive and require dedicated clinical staff, although nursing homes are chronically understaffed. The OPTIMISTIC project was one of seven programs selected by CMS as "enhanced care & coordination providers" and was implemented from 2012 to 2020. This qualitative study explores the perceptions of the nurses that piloted a virtual care support project developed to expand the program's reach through telehealth, and specifically considered how nurses perceived the effectiveness of this program. Relationships, communication, and access to information were identified as common themes facilitating or impeding the perceived effectiveness of the implementation of virtual care support programs within nursing homes.

Gender Biases Toward People With Difficulty in Balancing Work and Family Due to ADHD: Two Case Vignette Randomized Studies Featuring Japanese Laypersons and Psychiatrists.

Objective The gender gap in labor force participation is likely larger in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than that in the general population. Thus, we investigated whether gender affected the perception toward persons displaying ADHD symptoms and experiencing difficulty in balancing work and family. Methods Both Japanese laypersons and psychiatrists were recruited for web-based surveys in March and October 2020 via an online survey company, Cross Marketing Inc., and the secretariat of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, respectively. The participants were randomly assigned to read either a male or female case vignette. The vignettes were identical, except for the gender of the patient in the case. The primary and secondary outcomes were the respondents' opinions on the seriousness of the case and the degree to which the case's wish should be maintained, using sliding scales of 0-100. Results We included 560 laypersons and 585 psychiatrists. Neither cohort differed in most outcomes between the groups assigned to the male and female case vignettes. Among laypersons, the average score of seriousness was 58.8 in the female-vignette group and 58.6 in the male-vignette group (mean difference, 0.15; 95% confidence interval, -4.9 to 5.2). Among psychiatrists, the average score of seriousness was 53.9 in the female-vignette group and 53.7 in the male-vignette group (mean difference, 0.18; 95% confidence interval, -3.1 to 3.4). Similarly, between-group differences in the opinions on the degree to which the case's wish should be maintained were 1.2 in laypersons and 0.63 in psychiatrists. We found no significant interaction between the gender of the case and the respondent's gender in any of the outcomes. Conclusion Our results did not support the hypothesis that women were more likely to be pressured to prioritize family over work than men were when there was difficulty balancing work and family due to ADHD symptoms.