BREAKING POINT

The burnt out working mothers of the white-collar workforce want real flexibility with a clear switch-off button and childcare support. Something for firms to get right as they draft hybrid work policies

- VIDYA S.

THE HAND THAT Rocks the cradle rules the world, goes the old saying. But in a pandemic-hit world, it is also attending Zoom calls while working from home, helping the older child with online classes, racing against strict deadlines at work, making sure the dishes are done, fixing up meals for the entire family and, possibly, attending to the needs of the elderly at home.

“In the short term, work from home (WFH) was a disaster for women as all physical boundaries between work and home suddenly got eradicated. It’s just too much. Working mothers are fully burnt out,” says JobsForHer Founder and CEO Neha Bagaria.

Contrary to the perceived image of WFH being a blessing in disguise for working women of the white-collar workforce because of its flexibility, it was a nightmarish balancing act, especially for working mothers. “Women are more burnt out than men because their challenges are higher. A lot of companies are offering mental health-, self-care- and mindfulness benefits for women to deal with that,” says Nirmala Menon, Founder and CEO of diversity firm Interweave Consulting. Of course their challenges are higher. Working mothers in India took on an additional 360 hours of childcare per woman during the pandemic. That’s 10 times more than the average man’s 33 additional hours, according to a study by the Center for Global Development. Add to that increased workloads, drop in job satisfaction, decline in mental well-being and additional domestic responsibilities during the pandemic, as found by consulting firm Deloitte’s global study of ‘Women @ Work’ released in May 2021, it’s no wonder then that the hand rocking that cradle may just want to hand in her resignation.