Work-life balance isn't working for women. Why?

NEW YORK (AP) — About half of working women reported feeling stressed “a lot of the day," compared to about 4 in 10 men, according to a Gallup report published this week.

The report suggests that competing demands of work and home comprise part of the problem: working women who are parents or guardians are more likely than men who are parents to say they have declined or delayed a promotion at work because of personal or family obligations, and mothers are more likely than fathers to “strongly agree” that they are the default responders for unexpected child care issues.

And 17% of women overall report having to address personal or family responsibilities at work “daily” or “several times a day,” compared with 11% of men overall.

“There’s been much 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, of worry, of burnout for women,” said Gallup managing director Ilana Ron Levey at an event on Wednesday presenting the research findings, which were based on four separate surveys of nearly 20,000 adults working full time or part time, conducted between February 2023 and October 2024.

But changing workplace culture and prioritizing well-being 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 well-being initiatives.

“Why do we have to choose? Why are we creating environments where people have to make a choice between being the most amazing parent, partner, friend, daughter, sister, whatever, and also thriving at work?” she said, adding: “Investing in women well-being isn’t just good business - it’s a blueprint for societal progress.”

The survey, which also found that working mothers are nearly twice as likely to say they have considered reducing their hours or leaving their job altogether because of child care issues compared to working fathers, also highlights the fallout of the country's child care crisis weeks ahead of the start of President-elect Donald Trump's second administration.

Trump has said that child care is “something you have to have in this country" and suggested that his plans to tax imports from foreign nations at higher levels would cover the cost of child care reform, although his campaign website does not mention the issue among the administration's priorities. Vice President-elect JD Vance has criticized efforts by the Biden administration to control rising costs in child care centers, arguing that doing so encourages parents to go back to work and neglects those who prefer to care for their children at home.

Regarding prohibitively high child care costs —- which can exceed the cost of rent for some families, according to a Department of Labor report published last month — Vance suggested parents should lean more on family members for care.

But juggling work and family responsibilities can be draining for both men and women, who are about as likely to report thinking about work during personal 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 to be actively looking for a new job, the report says.

Organizations can take action by establishing informed policies, programs and resources, positioning managers to be the support system employees need, and prioritizing a culture of well-being, explained Kristin Barry, director of hiring analytics at Gallup.

And with women comprising nearly half of the workforce and the narrowest workforce participation gender gap in U.S. history, “turning a blind eye to this challenge women are facing means we are not going to accomplish our goals,” Barry said.

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