Healthy Women: Study finds working women face record burnout
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A new global study finds burnout epidemic is growing among working women. The Deloitte study reports that 53 percent of women reported stress levels higher than they were a year ago, as mental health and work-life balance have worsened from the pandemic.
It's a perfect storm of pressures at home and at work that local women are facing here in the Pikes Peak region too.
"We've seen a whole lot of burnout in working moms and moms of young children whether or not they are working out of the house," says Dr. Carolyn Shay Moore, with Centura Health. "Covid has definitely increased that burnout."
Dr. Moore says the new Covid era stress can be hard to balance.
"I think with Covid if you have a childcare issue that comes up because your kiddo is sick or school is canceled because the whole class is quarantined, those sorts of things can really throw a wrench in the plans for the professional life too," says Dr. Moore.
The study found that nearly 8 in 10 women said their workloads had increased since the start of the pandemic. Dr. Moore wants women to recognize when they are feeling run down and overwhelmed.
"What does that look like? It looks a lot like anxiety and depression, says Dr. Moore. "It can come with an increased sense of detachment or isolation, some irritability or negativity."
Experts predict the great resignation will continue, and working women will play a huge role in that. The study found that 40 percent of women are actively looking for a new employer and cited burnout as the main reason. Some are seeking new, more flexible working patterns, others are leaving the workforce entirely.
