The struggle of working women is not a single issue or a temporary phase linked to individual life choices. It is a complex, interconnected set of structural, economic, and cultural barriers that limit women’s full participation, advancement, and well-being in the world of work. At its core lie persistent unpaid care responsibilities, rising childcare costs, workplace inflexibility or the rollback of supportive practices, and growing rates of stress and burnout. Together, these forces push many women to reduce working hours, decline promotions, shift into lower-paid or informal roles, or leave the labor force entirely.
Importantly, these challenges are not the result of personal shortcomings or lack of ambition. They are systemic in nature and deeply embedded in how economies, workplaces, and societies are organized. The consequences are far-reaching. Households experience income instability and long-term financial insecurity, employers lose skilled and experienced talent, and national economies operate below their productive potential. Understanding the struggle of working women is therefore essential not only for gender equity but also for sustainable economic and social development.
Why this opening matters now
Recent global and national data underline both the scale and urgency of the problem. New estimates from the International Labour Organization show that approximately 708 million women worldwide are outside the labor force because unpaid care responsibilities prevent their participation. This statistic alone makes clear that caregiving burdens are not private inconveniences or lifestyle choices; they are structural constraints shaping labor markets.
At the same time, workplace wellbeing surveys consistently reveal that women report higher levels of work-related stress and more negative mental-health impacts than men. These disparities are particularly pronounced among women who combine paid employment with caregiving for children or elderly family members. Elevated stress and burnout do not simply affect individual well-being; they amplify career disruption risks by increasing absenteeism, reducing engagement, and accelerating decisions to exit demanding roles.
The economics of childcare further intensify these pressures. Research and policy analyses show that rising childcare costs are increasingly decisive in mothers’ employment decisions. In many countries, childcare expenses rival or exceed net earnings from paid work, making continued employment financially irrational for some families. The result is a growing number of women reducing hours or withdrawing from paid work, often against their preferences or long-term career interests.
What we mean by “struggle of working women”
In this article, the struggle of working women refers to the combined set of structural and lived challenges that reduce women’s access to quality employment and sustainable career progression. These challenges include:
- Time poverty from unpaid care such as childcare, elder care, and household work, which restricts availability for paid work, training, networking, and career-building opportunities.
- Affordability and access gaps in childcare and care services, which make paid employment economically unviable or logistically impossible for many families.
- Workplace design and culture problems, including inflexible hours, penalization for using flexible options, and shrinking sponsorship or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) support that block advancement.
- Mental-health strain and burnout, which reduce capacity, motivation, and willingness to remain in high-pressure or senior roles.
These elements interact in reinforcing ways. Unpaid care increases time pressure; high childcare costs make paid work less attractive; workplace penalties for flexibility deepen career trade-offs; and stress and burnout both stem from and worsen these constraints. Together, they create a cycle that is difficult for individual women to break without broader structural change.
Unpaid care burden & caregiving responsibilities
How it works
Globally, women perform far more unpaid care and domestic work than men. This imbalance creates chronic time poverty that limits women’s ability to engage fully in paid employment. Activities that are critical for career progression, such as overtime work, professional training, networking events, or travel, become difficult or impossible when caregiving responsibilities dominate daily schedules.
Examples
A common scenario is that of a mother who must reduce working hours or stop overtime because she is the primary person responsible for school pickups, after-school care, and eldercare for aging parents. Another example is a skilled professional who declines a promotion that requires frequent travel because local caregiving alternatives are unreliable or unaffordable.
Evidence
The ILO’s estimate that around 708 million women are excluded from the labor force due to unpaid care highlights the scale of this issue. Data from UN Women further shows that women spend on average 2.8 more hours per day than men on unpaid care and domestic work. Over weeks, years, and decades, this gap translates into significantly reduced labor market participation and slower career progression.
Childcare costs and availability
How it works
When childcare is scarce, unreliable, or unaffordable, households must reassess the value of paid work. In many cases, one parent reduces hours or exits the workforce, and this role is disproportionately taken on by women. The decision is often framed as a rational economic choice, but it is shaped by existing pay gaps, social norms, and policy environments.
Examples
In two-income households, it is common for one parent, usually the mother, to stop working when childcare costs equal or exceed her net wage. In low- and middle-income contexts, women may be unable to return to work after childbirth at all because regulated, safe childcare services are unavailable.
Evidence
World Bank research and country-level studies consistently find that improving childcare access and regulation increases female labor force participation, with effects growing over time. At the same time, media and economic reporting document rapidly rising childcare costs across many markets, intensifying the trade-off between paid work and caregiving.
Workplace structures: inflexible hours, rollback of flexible work, lack of sponsorship
How it works
Even when women are active participants in the labor force, workplace structures often undermine retention and advancement. Rigid schedules, stigma attached to flexible work, reduced access to remote or hybrid roles, and fewer sponsorship opportunities all limit long-term career prospects.
Examples
An employee may avoid using flexible hours because managers equate flexibility with lower commitment, reducing access to high-visibility assignments. In other cases, organizations scale back remote or hybrid options or cut DEI and sponsorship programs, leaving working mothers with fewer advancement pathways.
Evidence
Corporate analyses show that some firms have retreated from women-focused initiatives and flexibility introduced during earlier periods of reform. Gallup research also finds that women experiencing high, chronic stress are significantly more likely to search for new jobs, indicating that workplace culture and lack of support drive turnover.
Pay gap, occupational segregation, and promotion gaps
How it works
Lower average pay, concentration of women in lower-paid occupations, and slower promotion rates reduce the long-term return on women’s career investment. These dynamics make trade-offs with care more likely and penalize career interruptions.
Examples
A woman moving to part-time work after childbirth often experiences slower wage growth and missed promotion cycles, compounding a lifetime earnings gap. Sectors dominated by women, such as care and education, frequently pay less than male-dominated sectors despite their essential social value.
Evidence
OECD reporting shows persistent gender pay gaps across member countries. National agencies and think tanks consistently identify occupational segregation and the “motherhood penalty” as measurable contributors to lifetime income differentials.
Mental health, burnout, and well-being deficits
How it works
The strain of juggling paid work with unpaid care, combined with inflexible workplaces and constrained career prospects, fuels higher burnout and poorer well-being among many women. This, in turn, increases absenteeism, reduces productivity, and weakens attachment to work.
Examples
A high-performing employee may reduce responsibilities because chronic exhaustion undermines her ability to sustain high-intensity work. Others report declining workplace well-being and actively search for alternative roles or leave the workforce entirely.
Evidence
BCG’s global burnout analysis shows that women experience significantly higher burnout levels than men in many contexts. Gallup research links high daily stress among women to increased job searching and weaker career engagement.
Policies & social norms
How it works
Formal policies and informal social norms interact to determine who does care work and how flexibility is perceived. Even well-designed policies can fail if norms continue to expect women to shoulder care or penalize men for taking leave.
Examples
In societies where women are expected to be primary caregivers, female employment remains low even when jobs are available. In many workplaces, parental leave is technically gender-neutral but primarily used by women because men fear stigma or career backlash.
Evidence
Research by UN Women and the World Bank shows that entrenched gender norms sustain unequal care distribution and limit the effectiveness of policy interventions unless norms are explicitly addressed. Policy evaluations also show that incentives for men’s caregiving uptake are linked to more equitable labor outcomes.
Impacts of the struggle of working women
The struggle of working women does not end at individual inconvenience. Its effects cascade outward, shaping careers, organizations, labor markets, and societies.
Career stalled and lower promotions
Disproportionate caregiving, inflexible work expectations, and limited sponsorship make women less visible in promotion pipelines. Many decline leadership roles, are perceived as less committed when using flexibility, or experience career interruptions that delay advancement. Over time, this results in fewer women in senior decision-making roles.
Higher attrition and workforce exits
When pressures become unsustainable, women reduce hours or exit the workforce. Childcare costs, burnout, and lack of support are common triggers. Re-entry is often difficult, leading to long-term income loss and underutilization of skills.
Mental health and productivity costs
Chronic stress leads to reduced engagement, higher absenteeism and presenteeism, and increased risk of anxiety and depression. For organizations, this means lower productivity, higher healthcare costs, and increased turnover.
Macroeconomic impacts
At the societal level, constrained female participation reduces labor supply, lowers household income and consumption, and limits GDP growth. It also weakens retirement security and increases old-age poverty risks for women.
Region and sector spotlights
United States
In the US, the struggle of working women is shaped by high childcare costs, rising burnout, and shifting employer practices. Market-based childcare consumes a large share of household income, while corporate rollbacks of flexibility and DEI initiatives disproportionately affect women who rely on these supports.
India
In India, low female labor force participation is closely linked to unpaid care and social norms. Many women exit the workforce after marriage or childbirth and face barriers to re-entry, including limited childcare infrastructure and safety concerns. Recent participation gains are often concentrated in informal work.
OECD and global trends
Across OECD countries and globally, women continue to perform more unpaid care, face pay gaps, and remain underrepresented in leadership. Even in advanced economies, uneven policy implementation and flexibility stigma sustain the struggle of working women.
Policy recommendations and practical responses
Public childcare, paid family leave, caregiving credits, and supportive tax systems are among the most effective policy tools. Civil society plays a key role in advocating, monitoring, and shifting norms. At the individual level, practical strategies from negotiating flexibility to building financial resilience can help women navigate current constraints, though they cannot replace systemic reform.
Conclusion
The struggle of working women is a systemic problem with measurable causes and proven levers for change. Employers and policymakers who act by expanding childcare, protecting flexibility without penalty, investing in well-being, and ensuring equitable sponsorship will not only improve women’s lives but also strengthen organizations and economies. Addressing this challenge is not optional. It is essential for sustainable workplaces, resilient labor markets, and more equitable societies.
