Work is important because we EXCHANGE a day of Life!

              Why are MILLENNIAL Women Burning out Much Quicker than their Male Counterparts? An Intriguing Fast Company Article explains WHY?

Job “burnout” can happen to anyone in any job position. How do you know you’re burning out? If you are constantly feeling “stressed out” at work, a lot of factors are at play. Some might include setting high expectations and not meeting them. The new buzz word, “Work/Life” balance meaning one is “married” to their job and there is no life to enjoy might be another factor.

Current Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer wants three more years to turn around Yahoo. In a one-hour interview Thursday night (March 10, 2016) with Charlie Rose, revealed that she has a “three-year strategic plan” for continuing on in her attempt to turn around Yahoo that entails building and improving the services people use on their mobile phones every day, such as search.

This post does NOT imply or affirm that Ms. Mayer is a victim of job burnout but does show how difficult it can be for high ranked women to meet job expectations.

The trend of young women burning out by the age of 30 is very real and unfortunately common. A study by McKinsey shows that women account for 53% of corporate entry-level jobs, but women only hold 37% of mid-management roles. That number drops to 26% for vice presidents and senior managers, indicating a major gender disparity higher up the corporate ladder. As only 11% of women choose to leave the workplace permanently to have children, the other reason for this gap can be traced to high expectations that companies place on their employees in always-connected work environments.

Many of those high expectations can also be self-imposed. Jenny Blake was thriving when she began her career at Google but then she started to burn the candle at both ends. She was working full-time as a career development program manager while writing a book on nights and weekends. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I was in the fast lane to burnout. My pace was not sustainable, and I only realized it after I crashed—just weeks before my book was set to launch."

Blake believes part of the reason for this burnout among millennial women is because of how connected their companies expect them to be. She says:

“We are in unprecedented times in terms of the global, always-on organization. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline not to check email at night or first thing in the morning, and not all office cultures (or managers) endorse or demonstrate that restraint themselves. Work comes in at all hours, and it can be hard to create boundaries that keep it contained and allow for proper rest and renewal”.

For younger women, in particular, it can be hard to say no; especially in competitive jobs or industries where there would be a perceived line out the door for their replacement.

Why Women?

A study from the University of Kansas found that women are burning out faster than men after looking at attrition rates of journalists. According to the research, women reported higher levels of overload and intention to leave the field.

The author of the study "examined the numbers through gender socialization theory, which claims that society puts certain expectations on people based on their gender from a very young age. Where women are more often expected to provide the majority of family care and raise children, men are expected to be the breadwinners and put work obligations before family. That was supported by the findings showing that women experience significantly higher rates of role overload or feel that they are unable to complete their assigned duties in the work time allowed," notes the University of Kansas study.

An UNCERTAIN Future

Beyond high expectations, many millennials burn out at around age 30 because they are unhappy in their jobs and don't see a clear career path. Melanie Shreffler formerly at Ypulse (currently the Senior Editorial Director, Cassandra Report) tells Forbes, "You can’t see the end of the tunnel because there are many twists and turns. It’s impossible to see what life will be like in 20 years these days. It’s hard to look just three to four years in the future. They don’t know what they are striving for, which makes it really hard to move forward."

Michelle suggests that young women who find themselves in similar situations not get overwhelmed by where they are in the big picture and instead focus on the process as a learning experience. "One life experience just leads to the next, regardless if it is good or bad," she says.

Post-Burnout: Passion and Productivity

Both Michelle and Blake say that the best thing they did after realizing they were burning out was to take a break and go easier on themselves, and to be more intentional about their next moves.

"If it isn't fun and it isn't your passion, you will burn out," Michelle says. "Now, I work all the time because I really LOVE what I do and I am more productive than ever."

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SOURCE: Fast Company, March 11, 2016