Women, particularly mothers, are more likely than men to manage a complex set of responsibilities on a daily basis. These include household chores and caregiving along with paid professional work, if they have employment. In fact, data suggests that an average Indian woman spends 19.5% of her time in either unpaid domestic work or caregiving. Like household work, caregiving also remains a woman’s responsibility, despite the changing demographics, social structures, norms, and men increasingly assuming roles as caregivers. It is very common for women to experience stress and burnout from household work and caregiving that consumes a lot of energy, time and effort that are often not measurable.
The unpaid domestic work consists of household chores that are productive activities contributing to the wellbeing of the household and thereby, the economy. Women are predominant in domestic work due to a deeply ingrained imbalance in society and a flawed perception of gender roles. The pandemic has further highlighted and exacerbated these differences. Scroll down as Richa Vashista, Chief Mental Health Expert, AtEase explains about caregiver burnout and its impact on mental health.
Impact of unpaid household work and caregiving on women
High domestic workload, limited time and emotional demands related to caregiving can take a toll on the mental wellbeing of women. They feel overwhelmed with time pressures and unmet obligations. Despite living with stress every day, they often do not take time to slow down and understand how stress and burnout are negatively affecting women.
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What is caregiver burnout?
When stress becomes excessive and chronic, it becomes harder to cope and adapt. This is caregiver burnout. Women begin to experience symptoms such as difficulty in sleeping, anxiety, irritability, new or worsening health problems, cutting back on leisure activities, neglecting responsibilities and having trouble in concentrating. Some also experience a sense of failure in not being able to meet expectations for themselves and others. They spend more time meeting the needs of others rather than taking care of their needs.
Also Read: Millennial Burnout Syndrome, This Silent Condition Can Cause Long-Term Health Troubles
In the long term, the pressure of domestic work and caregiving stress leads to burnout. The common symptoms of burnout are:
- being constantly exhausted
- feeling cynical
- Feeling hopeless and resentful
- increasing impatience
- having trouble relaxing and sleeping
In addition to health symptoms that are brought on by stress and burnout, women can develop depression, heart problems, headaches and migraines, bowel issues, obesity, menstrual issues and pregnancy problems. This presents a need to tackle the issue of unequal distribution of household work and help women manage the stress.
How to ensure mental wellbeing of women?
Family members especially working members often neglect the mental woes of the housewife or caregiver. They are unable to understand that the person is not mentally healthy and may need assistance. It is very important to watch out for the symptoms of caregiver burnout and help the person overcome it for well-being. Here are some ways suggested by Richa to promote mental wellness in women caregivers:
- Firstly, there is a need to make systematic changes instead of putting the onus on women for dealing with burnout.
- The partners and family members should contribute in household work, divide the responsibilities and reduce the burden on women. This will lead to the reduction of stress and chances of burnout.
- Women who are feeling overwhelmed or are facing physical and mental consequences of stress and burnout, they should seek help from mental health professionals. These professionals are trained to help women develop strategies to manage stress effectively and improve overall health.
It is necessary to take mental health seriously for one and all. Caregivers often neglect their mental health which leads to burnout. Relaxing and taking breaks in between work should be normalized in the society. It is okay to feel exhausted but give your mind time to repair it.
Image credits- freepik