NEW YORK– About half of working women report feeling stressed for ‘much of the day’, compared to about 4 in 10 men. Gallup Report published this week.
The report suggests that competing work and family demands are part of the problem: Working women who are parents or guardians are more likely than men who are parents to say they have turned down or postponed a promotion at work because of personal or family concerns. obligations, and Mothers are more likely than fathers to ‘strongly agree’ that they are the default responders for unexpected childcare problems.
And 17% of women overall report having to manage personal or family responsibilities at work “daily” or “several times a day,” compared to 11% of men overall.
“There has been a lot of attention and discussion about promoting women’s well-being and helping women succeed as leaders in the workplace. But at the same time, we’re seeing record levels of stress, worry and burnout among women,” said Gallup CEO Ilana Ron Levey at a event on Wednesday, the study results were presented, which were based on four separate surveys of nearly 20,000 adults working full- or part-time, conducted between February 2023 and October 2024.
But changing workplace culture and prioritizing wellness can improve the problem, according to Karen Guggenheim, creator of the World Happiness Summit and CEO of WOHASU, the organizing body behind the event and other wellness initiatives.
“Why do we have to choose? Why are we creating environments where people have to make a choice between being the most wonderful parent, partner, friend, daughter, sister, whatever, and also thriving at work?” she said, adding: “Investing in women’s well-being isn’t just a good thing – it’s a blueprint for societal progress.”
The survey, which also shows that working mothers are almost twice as likely to say they have considered cutting their hours or quitting their job altogether due to childcare issues, also highlights the impact of the crisis. child crisis in the country weeks before the president-elect takes office Donald Trump’s second administration.
Trump has said childcare is “something you have to have in this country” and suggested his plans to tax imports from abroad at a higher level to cover the costs of childcare reformalthough his campaign website does not mention the issue under the priorities of the board. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has criticized the efforts by the Biden administration to control rising costs in child care centers, arguing that this encourages parents to return to work and neglects those who prefer to care for their children at home.
As for the prohibitively high costs of childcare: that is possible be higher than the rental price for some families, according to a Department of Labor report released last month, Vance suggested parents should rely more on family members for care.
But juggling work and family responsibilities can be exhausting for both men and women, who are equally likely to report thinking about work in their spare time, the Gallup report found.
Yet researchers also found that employers can significantly improve well-being by supporting work-life balance: women who say they are able to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal commitments are more likely to be engaged at work, and less likely active. looking for a new job, the report said.
Organizations can take action by establishing informed policies, programs and resources, positioning managers as the support system employees need, and prioritizing a culture of well-being, explains Kristin Barry, director of recruitment analytics at Gallup.
And with women involved almost half of the working population and the smallest gender gap in labor force participation in U.S. history, “turning a blind eye to this challenge that women face means we will not achieve our goals,” Barry said.
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