New York: Nearly half of working women report feeling stressed “a lot of the day,” compared to nearly 4 in 10 men. Gallup Report Published this week.
The report suggests that the competing demands of work and home may be part of the problem: Working women who are parents or guardians are more likely than men who are parents to say they turned down a promotion at work because of personal or family responsibilities. denied or delayed, and mothers were more likely than fathers to “strongly agree” that they are the default responders to unexpected child care problems.
And 17% of women reported having to address 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 the promotion 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, anxiety, burnout for women,” Gallup managing director Ilana Ron Levy said Wednesday at an event presenting the research findings, which were based on nearly four separate surveys. February 2023 and Conducted between October 2024 and 20,000 adults working full-time or part-time.
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 organization behind the event and other wellness initiatives.
“Why do we have to choose? Why are we creating an environment where people have to choose between being the most wonderful parent, spouse, friend, daughter, sister, whatever, and being rich at work?” She said, adding: “Investing in women’s wellbeing is not just good business – it’s a blueprint for social progress.”
Which is also known in the survey Working mothers Working fathers are almost twice as likely to say they have considered reducing their hours or giving up their jobs altogether because of childcare issues, also highlighting the country’s results. Child care crisis Weeks before 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 has suggested that his plans to tax imports from foreign nations at higher levels would cover the cost of child care reform, though his campaign website does not mention the issue. Administration priorities. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has criticized the Biden administration’s efforts to control rising costs at child care centers, arguing that doing so encourages parents to go back to work and ignores those who choose to care for their children at home. .
Regarding prohibitively high child care costs — which for some families can exceed the cost of rent, according to a Labor Department report published last month — Vance suggested that parents should lean more on family members for care.
But Gallup’s report found that work and family responsibilities can be dangerous for both men and women, who are more likely to report thinking about work during personal time.
Yet researchers have also found that employers can significantly improve well-being by providing support 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 as the support system employees need and prioritizing a culture of wellness, explained Christine Berry, director of hiring analytics at Gallup.
And with women comprising nearly half the workforce and the narrowest workforce participation gender gap in U.S. history, “turning a blind eye to the challenge women face means we’re not going to achieve our goals,” Barry said. said
