Gender and age differences in occupational stress and professional burnout between primary and high‐school teachers in Greece

Purpose To identify the specific sources of occupational stress and the professional burnout experienced by teachers working in Greek primary and secondary schools. A special emphasis is given to gender and age differences. Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional design was used. Two self‐report measures were administered to a sample of 493 primary and secondary school teachers, a self‐report rating scale of specific occupational stressors and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (education version). Findings The most highly rated sources of stress referred to problems in interaction with students, lack of interest, low attainment and handling students with “difficult” behaviour. Female teachers experienced significantly higher levels of occupational stress, specifically with regard to interaction with students and colleagues, workload, students' progress and emotional exhaustion. Younger teachers experienced higher levels of burnout, specifically in terms of emotional exhaustion and disengagement from the profession, while older teachers experienced higher levels of stress in terms of the support they feel they receive from the government. Practical implications The findings will help to implement effective primary and secondary level prevention programmes against occupational stress taking into account how males and females and younger and older teachers perceive stress at work. Originality/value The study is a significant addition to the teacher stress and burnout literature, especially in Greece where few relevant studies exist dealing with these problems.