Women often claim that men are prone to exaggerating “man flu”.
Now a survey has confirmed that the fairer sex are more likely than males to struggle into work when they’re ill - even though they take more sick days during their careers.
Men spend an average of 140 days off sick during their working lives, while women stay at home on 189 occasions.
But women’s dedication puts men in the shade. The findings suggest that women become ill more regularly than men.
Stomach bugs, dizziness and viruses are the most common ailments to strike down the British workforce.
In the survey, 1,000 men and 1,000 women were asked about their attitude towards feeling ill and taking time off work.
It found the average adult takes three-and-a-half days off work a year because of illness.
Four in ten men call in sick the moment they feel under the weather, the survey showed.
Just three in ten women ring the office as soon as they feel unwell. But while eight in ten men said they tried their best to make it into work, nine in ten women went to the extra effort.
And while only half of men worried about their workload when off sick, two in three women did.
The same proportion of women felt guilty about staying at home, compared with just a third of men.
Lawrence Christensen, of Benenden Healthcare Society, which commissioned the survey, said: “Our research shows a difference between the sexes when it comes to sick leave. While men are less likely to shake off man flu and go to work, women do end up taking more sick days across their careers. They might get ill more often, but women come out on top when it comes to dedication to work.”
The study also found that 70 percent of women feel unable to take any time off work, compared with 60 percent of men.
Women have also been at their desks when they felt they should have been at home resting eight times on average in the past year, compared with six times for men. Men are more likely to ring in sick with minor illnesses such as hayfever, sore throat and headache, while women are more likely to succumb to symptoms such as vomiting, flu and a temperature.
But one in four women admitted faking an illness to get a day of work, compared with only one in five men.
Dr Tony Williams, of Benenden Hospital in Cranbrook, Kent, said: “Everyone who goes off sick does so for a reason, but the reason is not always related to disease or illness.
“Women are usually the principal carer for children and if a child is sick they may take time off ‘sick’ to look after the child.” - Daily Mail