Leadership Under Pressure: Professional Burnout and Gender Differences Among Secondary School Principals

(1) Background: Professional burnout threatens secondary school principals’ well-being and educational quality worldwide. This study investigated burnout prevalence and gender differences among Greek secondary school principals, addressing gaps in understanding gendered manifestations of burnout in educational leadership. (2) Methods: A census survey was conducted with 54 secondary school principals (68.5% male, 31.5% female) from Fokida Prefecture, Greece. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey assessed three burnout dimensions. Mann–Whitney U tests examined gender differences, with effect sizes calculated for practical significance. (3) Results: Emotional exhaustion was prevalent among principals regardless of gender. Significant gender differences emerged in depersonalization, with male principals showing higher emotional distancing (small-to-medium effects). Female principals demonstrated significantly higher personal achievement, maintaining professional efficacy despite equivalent exhaustion. (4) Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that while workplace stressors create universal emotional exhaustion, gender shapes burnout manifestation through different coping pathways. Male principals appear more prone to emotional distancing, while female principals sustain achievement through maintained engagement. Pending replication in larger samples, findings support the need for gender-sensitive interventions alongside systemic organizational reforms.