At Home and at Work, Women Are Burning Out - Why Are We Letting It Happen?

The term ‘Sandwich Generation’ has been around since the 1980s, originally coined to describe the demographic of adults – typically aged between 40 and 55 – who provide care for both their children and their parents at the same time.

These are the people packing their child’s school lunches alongside organising their dad’s weekly meds schedule; the ones leaving work to drive their child to footy training, before taking their mum to a doctor’s appointment.

While these scenarios may sound familiar to many, it’s women who are most likely to find themselves sandwiched. Data from the ABS reveals women are disproportionately more likely than men to be informal caregivers for ageing parents, with women aged between 45 and 54 carrying most of the load.

And in families with multiple adult children, it’s typically the eldest daughter who assumes the position of caregiver for ageing parents – an example of what is termed ‘Eldest daughter syndrome’.

We continue to rely heavily on the unpaid labour of women, often without offering them adequate support or recognition.

It’s perhaps easy to understand then why women tend to experience higher rates of stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and burnout – both at work and at home – compared to men.

Despite a collective push towards gender equality in the workforce, women are still expected to carry the weight of caregiving responsibilities, and it risks hurting not just their wellbeing but also their careers. And, unfortunately, there’s no relief in sight.

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