Women’s Burnout caused by society’s expectations

By Kimiko Ilone Kaena

Burnout is more than just being tired. It is a feeling of emotional exhaustion, stress, irritability, low motivation, and feeling mentally drained.

Women often experience higher levels of burnout because society expects them to handle many roles at once. Many women are expected to succeed at work while also taking care of household chores, family responsibilities, and providing emotional support for others.

Research shows that women who strongly believe they must fulfill traditional female roles, such as being the “perfect” worker, mother, or caregiver, are more likely to feel burned out. On the other hand, women who see work as something meaningful and enjoyable often experience lower levels of burnout.

Burnout is not only caused by heavy workloads. Workplace culture and society’s expectations also play a big role. Studies show that in workplaces with more traditional or conservative views about women’s roles, women are more likely to experience stress and burnout.

Burnout can affect both mental and physical health.

It may cause:

• constant tiredness,

• emotional numbness,

• anxiety,

• loss of motivation,

• trouble concentrating,

• and unhealthy coping habits such as overeating or substance use.

Women also often carry the “mental load,” meaning they are expected to remember, plan, and organize things for both work and home life. This invisible pressure can make them feel overwhelmed even when they are not physically working.

What can help reduce burnout?

• Provide better mental health and emotional support for women.

• Create workplaces that support work-life balance.

• Offer mentoring and supportive communities.

• Improve family leave, childcare, and breastfeeding support policies.

• Encourage equal sharing of household responsibilities.

• Change harmful expectations about what women “should” do.

Reducing burnout is not just about telling women to rest more. Society and workplaces also need to change the pressure and expectations placed on women every day.

Sources: Grossi et al. (2003), Artz et al. (2022), Innstrand et al. (2011), Zaluski et al. (2022), Chesak et al. (2020), CultureAlly (2025)