Men aren't the only ones who are the breadwinners of the family. Increasingly, women are also becoming a part of the workforce, and in some cases, women are the sole earners. In fact, breadwinning mothers are becoming a norm in the USA and other developed countries.
However, despite the progress, gender inequality remains a problem worldwide, and it's reflected in the pay scale of women as well. According to recent research, women earn 81 cents for a dollar earned by men in 2020 in the United States.
Due to financial inequality at workplaces, many women are experiencing greater stress levels, causing a strain on their physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, and other various diseases arise due to negative stress. It not only gets their productivity affected but also their personal life.
According to a survey conducted by SalaryFinance, more than half of female American employees (51%) worry about their finances as compared to only 41% of men. Alongside men are women who are trying to support their family members. However, due to challenges faced both in their personal and work life, their health is being compromised. Below are the impacts of financial stress on a women's health.
Deteriorating Physical and Mental Health
When struggling financially, a woman ends up stressed. As the stress gets larger and larger for the woman to bear, her mind and body end up paying the price for it. Here are some negative effects that immense stress can leave on a woman's mental and physical health:
Insomnia – a wide-awake mind filled with the constant worry of unpaid bills, loss of income, or loans can keep any woman tossing and turning all night.
Anxiety – Shortage of money and the worry about unpaid bills can cause a woman to have severe anxiety such as panic attacks, pounding heartbeat, and shivering.
Weight gain or loss – Many women end up becoming overweight or underweight from anxiously overeating or skipping meals to save money.
Physical ailments – As women start overeating and skipping meals, they become more exposed to physical health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, and even heart diseases. Many would even avoid going to the hospital for checkups because of the worry of hospital bills being too costly or not being able to afford medicine.
Social withdrawal – Because of financial worries, women end up cutting ties with friends and reduce socializing in order to focus more on working so that they can earn more money.
Depression – The amount of financial stress that builds up on women can cause them to feel extremely down, hopeless, and lonely, which can make it difficult for them to concentrate and make decisions. People who are in debt are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, according to a study at the University of Nottingham in the UK.
Women often also start consuming a large number of pills like Adderall to increase their concentration and energy levels. They also take them to decrease and suppress their need for sleep and food. This is extremely harmful and dangerous for them as excessive amounts of it can cause damage to their internal organs and cardiovascular system.
No Time for Self-Care
Due to working overtime and taking extra shifts, women often find themselves occupied 24/7 to the point where they are unable to sit down and take a deep breath. In these circumstances having time for self-care is out of the question.
Women also start to think that self-care means being selfish and wasting time and money. When they are neglecting self-care, they are neglecting their hygiene, mental health, and physical health.
Self-care doesn't necessarily mean self-pampering in the sense that women have to spend money on spas and expensive products. It can simply mean caring for your health and finding ways to make yourself relax.
Even something as mundane as taking a break from work for a power nap or taking a brisk walk for some fresh air. The burden of financial stress is so overwhelming that you may no longer find interest in looking after yourself. What once used to bring you peace and joy may no longer bring comfort as you're constantly loaded with unbearable problems.
Decreasing Productivity in Professional and Personal Life
Financial stress cannot only sneak into a woman's work life but also affect her productivity at home. Here is how it can do that:
Decreased Performance and Productivity at Work
Female employees can be physically present but absent mentally. The reason for this is that the stress of finances has made its home in their minds and it begins to occupy their heads. This causes them to fall behind in submitting work on issued deadlines, make lots of silly mistakes in their projects, and not performing their assigned tasks properly.
For instance, a female app developer that creates apps for small businesses may not be able to perform her work as well as before because of a load of financial pressures on her shoulders.
Financial stress also causes female employers to feel a lot of fatigue at their workplace. This causes them to show a lack of interest in their work. Also, such stress can affect a woman's creative thinking and effective problem solving, which results in poor performance.
Decreased Energy At Home
Due to financial stress, women may find it difficult to focus on their responsibilities at home. The combined load of duties and making ends meet may cause them to overexert their body and mind. They won't be able to focus on fostering relationships with their loved ones. More amount of time is lost in looking for ways to handle the expenditures, cutting their time to find family time.
Overall, the effects of stress can spread even into their personal lives. With no thought to brighten their mood, such tension can cause them to get panic attacks and may fall into depression. This prevents them from taking care of themselves and their family members.
Financial Problems Leads to Physical and Psychological Stress in Women
Financial stress is hard on everyone, whether men or women. However, women may face the brunt of it as they are paid less for the same work as compared to men. Increasingly, women are the sole earner of their families, and so the financial stress accumulates.
Without the provision of proper support from businesses, the financial health of female employees may worsen. It's essential that employers conduct finance handling programs to guide their employees towards saving and protect them from debts.
