This isn’t really what I’d call surprising news, but it is a surprising confirmation that I am not alone in my being busy.
Nor am I alone in claiming that half of my stress is self-induced. The following report from Dunia Magazine is so comprehensive that I’m copying and pasting it below. If you’d prefer to read from the original source, click here:
Work Is Not to Blame for Women’s Lack of Free Time; Time-pressure Is Often Self-imposed, According to Real Simple / Families and Work Institute Survey
Almost Half of Women Would Not Hire More Help If The Could Afford It
Women Pack Free Time With Household Chores
The results of a new groundbreaking national survey, Women and Time: Setting a New Agenda, commissioned by Real Simple and designed by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute reveal that much of the time pressure experienced by women is self-imposed, due to trouble delegating and letting go of control. However, the survey also discovered that women who set aside regular free time are ultimately more satisfied with their lives (50% report being very satisfied, versus 41% of those who regularly postpone their free time).
“There is a startling connection between scheduling free time and happiness—and an equally startling connection between the ability to delegate and happiness,” said Kristin van Ogtrop , Managing Editor, Real Simple. “We hope these findings will spark a national dialogue to help women everywhere reclaim their free time and use it in a way that will ultimately make their lives better.“
While 49% of women say they do not have enough free time, the culprit is not their jobs. In fact, 68% of women say that work does not interfere with their personal lives. And with recent research showing that men are helping more with household chores and childcare than ever before, why are women so stressed out?
For many women, there is a palpable feeling of guilt: 32% of married/partnered women often feel that if they did less around the house, they would not be properly taking care of it.
Interestingly, money is not necessarily a barrier to relieving many women of their responsibilities, with nearly half (45%) of respondents saying they would not hire more household help if they could afford it, and nearly 69% saying that they would not hire more child care if they could afford it.
The women surveyed reported doing tasks, including laundry (79%), cleaning (75%), cooking (70%) and organizing/de-cluttering (62%), during their free time, proving that women spend their free time doing copious numbers of chores.
While many believe that their spouse is capable, they don’t think their partner would do the chores the way they want them done. A considerable percentage said they would feel uncomfortable delegating tasks like decorating (62%), managing the finances (59%) or organizing/de-cluttering (53%) to their spouse or partner. In some cases, women are more likely to delegate daily chores to their children (17%) than to their spouse (9%).
“In order to reclaim – and enjoy – our free time, it’s critical that we shift our standards,” said Ellen Galinsky , President and Co-Founder, Families and Work Institute. “We are living with expectations of our ability to get everything done, before we take time for ourselves, that are totally out of sync with our lives.“
Real Simple and Families and Work Institute set out to examine how women manage their time, especially their free time, defined as “time you spend on yourself, where you can choose to do the things that you enjoy.” The nationally representative survey of 3,230 women ages 25 – 54 was conducted in October and November 2011 using an online questionnaire.
For the Executive Summary, please visit here.
So, dear readers – is this news to you?