Women who work more than 55 hours a week are more likely to suffer from depression than those who work the more standard 35-40 hours, a British study has found.

In contrast, men who put in the same hours are no more likely to exhibit signs of the condition, researchers say. They suggest this could be because women face a “double burden” of very long hours spent in their job on top of domestic chores, which they tend to do much more of than male partners.

The results are based on data from more than 20,000 British adults taking part in Understanding Society: the UK household longitudinal study, which has been tracking family life and society since 2009.

Women who work at least 55 hours a week had 7.3% more likelihood of symptoms of depression than those who worked between 35 and 40 hours.

Women were also likelier than men to display signs of debilitating low moods linked to working on Saturday and Sunday, though both were affected (4.6% and 3.4% more likely).

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