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Working mothers more likely to experience stress and burnout than fathers, survey finds

64% of mothers said they felt overwhelmed, while 66% experienced burnout from a lack of personal time.

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Working mothers more likely to experience stress and burnout than fathers, survey finds
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A survey from YouGov for Deloitte UK has found that working mothers in the UK are much more likely to feel overwhelmed and burnt out than fathers. 

64% of mothers felt overwhelmed by responsibilities, while 66% experienced burnout from a lack of personal time. 

The figures for fathers were lower, at 38% and 47% respectively.

More than half of working parents felt mentally exhausted or burnt out, and more than half reported increased stress or anxiety. 

Those aged 25 to 44 were most likely to experience mental exhaustion or burnout.

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One in four working parents said they use almost two weeks of annual leave each year for caring responsibilities, while 31% take just one to three days for themselves and 27% are unable to take any personal time. 

Women were more likely to use annual leave for caring, at 33% compared to 18% of men.

Flexible working policies remain important, with 63% of working parents expecting their employer to offer flexible hours after parental leave. 

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Working fathers were less likely to expect options such as reduced hours, formal flexible working requests, or phased returns than mothers.

57% of parents said it would be difficult to find another job offering better policies for working parents. 

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Younger generations were more optimistic about finding a new role with better benefits.

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When it comes to emergency childcare, 66% of parents found it easy to change work plans. 

39% of working mothers said their employer expected them to manage last-minute childcare themselves, compared to 16% of fathers. 

19% of men said their partner was expected to take responsibility, while only 4% of women said the same.

Jackie Henry, managing partner for people and purpose at Deloitte, said: “Having a family and a career shouldn’t come at the cost of people’s mental health and these results show the pressure parents, particularly mothers, feel when trying to juggle their work and home lives.

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“Workplace policies that support both parents could be part of the solution to this problem, creating a culture focussed on equality and helping to remove the outdated idea of mothers as default caregivers.

“Whatever support employers can offer families, it’s vital everyone, regardless of their gender, feels empowered to accept it.”

Henry added: “Parents should be able to be present for the important moments, at home as well as at work.”

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