If you think a working woman has it easy, think again. A new online study reveals Indian female employees are markedly more stressed than their male counterparts. The study, conducted by Yourdost, finds that nearly three quarters of its female respondents report being highly stressed. More studies have preceded this one which show that this has been a reality for Indian women for quite some time now. Little has been done to alleviate them of this stress, which has quickly become the root cause of more pressing health issues too.
Family time makes up most of women’s work-life balance
Women across the world are also tasked with handling household matters along with delivering what is expected of them at work. And while this a well identified problem with a lot of discussion around it, little seems to have been done to alleviate the same. Work-life balance translates differently to women than men. To women, striking a work-life balance means to first find enough time to be with their family, and then for relaxing themselves. Family is definitely an attachment for men, but it is more pronounced in women. Women are therefore, dealing with delivering their best selves both professionally and in their households, which takes an immense toll on them.
The pandemic gave the world the advantage of remote working. This came as a boon for Indian women, who are traditionally more linked to households than men. But as a hybrid work culture became normalized, women still faced a greater chance of being underpaid, stressed and even burnt out at work than men. Another study, conducted by Deloitte, reports that 37% of Indian women alone considered leaving their jobs because of being paid less. The share is significantly higher than the 27% of women who share the same feeling, from other countries. Remote working has interfered with our personal lives immensely, and has often disrupted them. 56% of Indian women reported being over-exerted at work, and one-third of them had taken leaves to deal with poor mental health.
Work policies intended to help women will greatly improve their mental health
The situation for working women in India is dire, as companies keep flexibility in their policies for women limited to only the bare minimum. In India, paid maternity leave lasts for 26 weeks. While this may be beneficial for women, workplaces expect women to perform at levels prior to having children, as if they are unaffected by the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth. Women are teetering along the line that will easily label them a bad mother/wife if they spend too much time at work, or a bad worker if they are too involved with family life. As a result, many women have dropped out from the workforce, to end all problems that come with participating in it.
Measures specifically aimed to de-stress women at work are a responsibility that are still shouldered by women themselves. Helping women strike a work-life balance will improve their mental health by huge numbers. Employers need to understand that women are bound by different entities than men, and need to lay down policies that help them deal with work and personal life efficiently. Instead of women resorting to blogs and social media for tips to de-stress, an employer-driven initiative to combat stress will take a huge load off of women’s shoulders.
