Work-Life Balance is a Continued Challenge for Women Employees and How to Deal With This Stress
Women undergo a lot of expectations from their families especially if they are married and they have children and elders to take care of.
“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to-do’ list.”—Michelle Obama.
The changing times have positioned digital media usage at a pedestal, and it has been a constant tussle to achieve a middle point. As working women continue juggling their responsibilities and career path within rigid agendas, their productivity gets hampered. Research states that 78% of working women in India are taking career breaks to improve their well-being, plan career changes, and boost their confidence at work.
A. Work-Life Balance and its prevailing challenges:
With the recent changes in our social-political environment where we are progressing into a culture where women are closer to receiving equal opportunities as men and most women are seeking work to support their families, there are some underlying challenges. Here are a few:
- Work-Family Conflict: A Newly married couple would face difficulties in how to share the load and spend time with each other. Career-oriented women may have time restraints especially if she has to work late from their usual work timings.
- Child care duties: Not all families will be able to vet out the extra expense for childcare duties. They would also be missing out on their children growing up and would have to constantly face the judgment of filling the shoes of a perfect mom.
- Single mothers and the need for dependent child care:
- A Hybrid work environment may not always be a reality in every organization, and women in impressive job roles find it challenging to be present in the office every day.
- Additionally, studies state that almost 60% of women who work in hybrid environments feel they have been excluded from important meetings, and almost half say they do not have enough exposure to leaders. On the contrary, workspaces may not provide them with a nursery, breastfeeding and pumping care.
B. Tips to address the tussle:
. In a recent LinkedIn research, 83% of working women have realized they want to work more flexibly.
- A holistic routine and understanding:
For starters, share responsibilities and duties with your family to lessen the burden and approach flexible working hours. This helps young mothers feel more present and dedicate their time and energy to nurturing and tending to their children.
Maintaining healthy boundaries and practising assertiveness with events concerning social policies in the workplace, wage gap, harassment and casual sexism can take a working woman a long way in her personal and professional life.
- Work-life Integration:
Women undergo a lot of expectations from their families especially if they are married and they have children and elders to take care of. They have a load of both maintaining a balance between family and work efficiently.
Seeking help from others in your work and life environments to share the load. A Twitter report found that 54% of people said that their mental health has increased in importance this year vs. last year. Prioritizing your roles can help you decide how best to manage your time across your various roles and responsibilities are some options to consider.
Increased responsibility at work and home can lead to burnout. While attaining a work-life balance may seem like a mountain top you are dreaming of it all boils down to how well can you integrate work-life balance. Work-life balance is a concept of maintaining work life and personal life altogether.
- Connecting with yourself by seeking support:
Self-care should be an utmost priority more than just being a checklist. Practising a healthy routine, staying hydrated, taking some time for yourself and staying rooted in your emotions by utilizing time in doing what you like, or taking a stroll, effective time management by finishing the easy tasks first based on priorities and including mindfulness practices like meditation or self-introspection can help you manage work-life balance.
Appreciation and recognition at our workplaces and our homes will help us be better planners. Receiving them from time to time keeps us grounded in our values and purposes, ensuring better productivity and staying aligned with our goals.
Whether it be companies, NGOs, institutions, or at the governmental level, we need to make sure that women’s mental health is on the agenda at the leadership level. We need to consciously create female role models in the workplace. Women leaders should step forward, and share their experiences on how they are handling work-life balance.
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