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.