Abstract
This study analyzes burnout in 113 school principals (69 women and 44 men) in Baja California, Mexico, through a cross-sectional quantitative design with a gender perspective. An adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey (MBI-ES) was used, and the data were analyzed with Student’s t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Results indicate that female principals reported significantly higher emotional exhaustion (M = 3.36) compared to their male peers (M = 2.51; p < .001). No significant gender differences were found in depersonalization or personal accomplishment. By educational level, emotional exhaustion was highest in preschool (M = 3.70), followed by secondary (M = 3.02) and primary (M = 2.81), though differences were not statistically significant (p = .072). The regression model explained 68.1% of the variance in emotional exhaustion (adjusted R² = .681), identifying administrative workload (β = .811; p < .001) as the main predictor. These findings reveal structural tensions in female school leadership. The study highlights the need for policies promoting work–life balance and recognition of emotional labor, as well as future research on the interwoven effects of “double presence” across educational levels.