Tired, stressed and invisible: The hidden toll on women's health revealed
- Women carry the load, with half (49%) of British women saying the bulk of 'invisible labour' falls to them
- A third (32%) of UK women at breaking point, feeling constantly stressed or on the verge of not coping
- Supermodel and TV star, Jodie Kidd, helps to shine a light on the silent health crisis with new Optibac Women’s Wellbeing report
British women are running on empty, with new research revealing that they’re overworked, overtired and overwhelmed - and it's having a significant impact on their health.
A national study, commissioned by Optibac to mark the launch of their new Optibac Women’s Wellbeing supplement, has revealed the full scale of the pressures facing women across the UK.
The gender imbalance of the ‘invisible’ workload
The number of men and women in work is closer than ever, with a majority of men (73%) and women (71%) in paid work. Yet, it’s the unpaid load that paints a different picture.
The majority of women work full time, yet 14% still spend up to 20 hours per week on domestic tasks and household responsibilities such as; cooking, cleaning, shopping and admin versus only 9% of men.
Nearly half (49%) of British women say the bulk of ‘invisible labour’ - things like planning meals, managing the family schedule (e.g. children's activities and clubs, school admin, family trips) and remembering birthdays - falls to them all of the time. Just 1 in 3 (36%) men say the same.
With this cumulative mental and physical load, it’s perhaps no surprise that nearly a third (32%) of women admit to feeling constantly stressed or on the verge of not coping.
State of the nation’s sleep habits, with women losing a full night’s sleep per week.
Despite doing more, women are sleeping less, with on average British women get just six hours of sleep per night (29%) compared to men who average 7 hours sleep (30%). Worryingly, the NHS advises women should get at least 7 hours sleep per night, yet the data shows on average women are losing a full night's sleep per week.
Women are more likely to dismiss health concerns
The research also found women are shouldering a higher burden of health concerns, with more than half (52%) report experiencing anxiety, while 2 in 5 (41%) struggle with brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
Digestive issues; including bloating, irregularity and IBS are reported by 29%, with 22% citing skin issues and breakouts and 1 in 5 (21%) reporting hormonal imbalances.
Despite this, women are more likely to dismiss their own health concerns, 69% say they’ve downplayed symptoms due to feeling too busy - compared to just 60% of men.
And worryingly, almost half (49%) of women believe men are more likely to be taken seriously when raising a health issue, yet 69% of men don’t believe that’s true.