Double-burden syndrome is a daily concern for many women and may have been exacerbated due to work-from-home directives and social-distancing measures instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Double-burden syndrome refers to the workload faced by people — traditionally women — who not only earn money through regular employment but also are responsible for unpaid domestic labor. Nowadays, it often refers to the challenges many women face when trying to balance household responsibilities/ childcare and employment.
Traditional gender roles once accepted by society have become more relaxed in recent years, and by and large both spouses now work. Statistics Canada says dual-income families have doubled in the country between 1976 and 2015. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that among married-couple families with children in 2019, 97.5 percent had at least one employed parent, and 64.2 percent had both parents employed.
Despite the fact that both parents now work in many households, there is still a disparity in the number of hours contributed to work around the house — with women taking on a larger percentage.
COVID-19 has not made the situation any easier. According to Women’s Web, a parenting and career resource for women, the lockdown has quadrupled women’s workloads, whether they have careers or not. In addition to holding down full- or part-time salaried jobs, women are juggling home schooling, spouses’ remote working and caring for a household that is spending an increased amount of time at home.
A recent survey by Pink Ladder, a comprehensive career enhancement resource for women, indicates that four in 10 women are facing high levels of anxiety and stress from current work-from-home situations, as many women have been expected to take on increased workloads from the office and also tackle a greater number of chores at home.
Coping with double-burden syndrome involves various strategies that women can try as they attempt to find greater balance.
- Speak with managers about changing shifts. Managers may be receptive to switching shifts to make accommodations for household responsibilities and childcare needs.
- Scale back hours, if possible. If work is causing excessive stress, motivation is dwindling and/or home needs are suffering, this may be a case for decreasing work hours. Fathers should consider this as well, especially if they earn less than their spouses.
- Attempt to compartmentalize professional life from personal life, especially when working from home. Definitive lines between work time and home time may need to be drawn. This may require not doing laundry during work hours and not answering work calls during personal hours.
- Recognize there is no need to aspire to perfection. Recognizing that perfection is an unattainable goal because it doesn’t exist can diminish feelings of stress and dejection.
These strategies may help ease the effects of double-burden syndrome.
