Women and absenteeism: the gap no official narrative explains

Women and absenteeism: the gap no official narrative explains

A fire in a Basque town forced the head of the local police to publicly thank the colleagues who showed up. Out of nearly 30 officers, only one was at the office and one patrol was on duty. The other 27 had no plans to go to work. The anecdote illustrates a problem that the latest data from Randstad Research turn into statistics: the Basque Country leads absenteeism in Spain with 9.4% of contracted hours not worked, well above the national average of 7.2%. Of that percentage, 7.2% corresponds to sick leave.

The gender gap in sick leave: uncomfortable figures

Average national data for 2025-2026 show a persistent difference: the female absenteeism rate ranges between 6.8% and 7.5%, while the male rate stands between 4.2% and 4.8%. Women account for between 62% and 65% of all sick leave days in Spain. The most common causes among them are musculoskeletal problems (back, neck), mental health issues (anxiety, depression) and gynaecological and reproductive problems. On top of this comes the double burden: although shared responsibility is advancing, women still take on most of the care of children and the elderly.

From viral headline to real data

The claim that "90% of women in the public sector are on sick leave" circulates frequently. An analysis of the numbers dismantles it: if women account for 62-65% of sick leave days, the correct headline would be that 90% of sick leave is caused by women, not that 90% of women are on sick leave. The difference is an order of magnitude. Those who argue there is abuse point out that in sectors such as construction (male majority) absenteeism is much lower, while in services (female majority) it doubles. Others note that men suffer more workplace accidents, but women accumulate more sick leave for common illnesses.

The discussion over whether women's sick leave responds to real health conditions or to alleged "embeleco" clashes with one fact: medical inspection bodies do not usually pursue these cases with the same intensity as in the private sector. Meanwhile, the temptation to reduce the debate to a cliché —"all women fake it"— hides the complexity of a system that punishes equally those who genuinely need sick leave and those who use it as an escape route. The unsettling figure is that, despite the gap, productivity in the public sector remains comparable to the private sector in many agencies. Something does not add up, and official silence makes it bigger.