- Tongle Editor
- February 20, 2025
Imagine waking up before dawn to prepare breakfast, packing school lunches while answering early work emails, and ensuring everyone in the house is ready for the day—all before even starting your own work. This is the daily reality for millions of working mothers, and the list of responsibilities doesn’t end there.
1. The Double Shift: Balancing Work and Home
Mothers often work a “double shift”—one at the office and another at home. Even in dual-income households, studies show that women still do the majority of childcare, housework, and emotional labor. According to a report by McKinsey, working mothers spend an average of 20 more hours per week on unpaid domestic labor than fathers, essentially adding a part-time job to their already full workload.
📌 Practical Insight: Employers should recognize that flexible work arrangements (such as remote work or adjusted hours) can help mothers balance these demands without compromising productivity.
2. The Mental Load: Planning, Organizing, and Managing Everything
The term mental load refers to the invisible yet exhausting cognitive labor that mothers bear—keeping track of schedules, meal planning, doctor’s appointments, school activities, and household needs. This isn’t just physical labor; it’s constant mental multitasking, which can lead to chronic stress and decision fatigue.
💬 A Mother’s Perspective: “It’s not just about doing the work; it’s about being the one who remembers everything—who needs new shoes, what groceries to buy, who has a birthday party this weekend. My brain never gets to switch off.”
📌 Practical Insight: Employers can support mothers by offering on-site childcare, extended parental leave, or subsidized household services to lighten this burden.
3. The Emotional Labor: Always Being ‘On’
Mothers are often expected to be the emotional backbone of the family, providing comfort, patience, and problem-solving skills—no matter how exhausted they feel. They manage tantrums, mediate sibling fights, and provide endless emotional support. This responsibility can be emotionally draining, especially when combined with workplace stress.
📌 Practical Insight: Employers should integrate mental health support programs into their workplace culture, offering therapy sessions or mindfulness workshops.
4. Career Sacrifices: The Motherhood Penalty
Mothers frequently face career setbacks due to their caregiving responsibilities. Studies indicate that working mothers are less likely to be promoted and earn lower salaries compared to childless colleagues. Many workplaces still hold outdated biases, perceiving mothers as “less committed” to their careers, even though they often work harder to prove otherwise.
📌 Practical Insight: Companies must actively support career progression for mothers by offering leadership programs, mentorship, and unbiased promotion policies.
Why This Stress Is a Silent Crisis
When mothers are stretched too thin, the consequences extend beyond personal exhaustion. Chronic stress can lead to:
- Increased risk of anxiety and depression
- Burnout and job dissatisfaction
- Weakened family relationships due to emotional depletion
- Declining physical health (higher risk of heart disease, migraines, and sleep disorders)
This is why workplace wellness initiatives must go beyond surface-level benefits and address the unique challenges faced by working mothers.
How Tongle Can Help
At Tongle, we believe that no mother should have to navigate this journey alone. Our free mental health assessments, customized workshops, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are designed to help mothers manage stress, improve mental well-being, and create a more balanced work-life dynamic.
This International Women’s Day, let’s not just celebrate mothers—we must actively support and empower them in tangible ways. 💜
Are you ready to make a change? Join Tongle’s workplace wellness initiative today and help create a stress-free environment for working mothers!
