Female burnout syndrome: when tiredness is a sign of fatigue

Women on the verge of collapse: a society that exploits female energy.

For many decades now, the pro-equality and women's liberation movements have been making their mark in Western countries.

Thanks to them, women are less and less obliged to stay at home and make sacrifices for a family life in which, years ago in which, years ago, they were supposed to invest all their strength. However, full equality has not yet been achieved, and gender roles continue to demand a double responsibility from women: working to earn money and taking care of the house and family. This is the origin of the so-called female burnout syndrome.

What is the female burnout syndrome?

The first thing to keep in mind in order to understand this concept is that it is not a disease. As can be read in this article on the difference between a syndrome, a disorder and a disease, the first is simply a set of symptoms and signs that often occur together.. That means that in female burnout syndrome there does not have to be a Biological cause that causes the person's entire body to malfunction.

In fact, it is most likely that this syndrome is not caused by something happening in the woman's body, but rather the opposite: what is around her.. Specifically, a cultural model that causes many women to become exhausted by having to devote their time outside of work to most of the household chores.

In other words, what generates the female burnout syndrome is the way in which women and their environment (including the people who live in it) relate to each other.

The causes of female burnout syndrome

One of the factors that make female burnout syndrome so persistent is that its causes have been culturally normalized. its causes have been culturally normalized. This means that, because of the way we tend to think simply by belonging to a culture that for centuries has strongly defended the segregation of roles depending on gender, many of the customs that produce the female burnout syndrome seem normal and "expected".

A clear example of this can be found in family dinners, where, at the end of the meal, women automatically get up to collect the dishes and cutlery, wash the dishes and clean the table while men rest or remain seated at the table.

Another classic example is that of household cleaning.. This type of activity is still mostly carried out by women, which is significant considering that a single apartment has many parts that can be cleaned. Performing this activity is not just about mopping: it is also about vacuuming, putting the washing machine on, hanging and ironing, dusting, etc.

A broader problem

Examples such as these are just small parcels of the same realityHousework is still a responsibility mostly associated with women, while the professional sphere, which used to be a woman's responsibility, is still a woman's responsibility.While the professional sphere that used to be reserved for men is now also a sphere of tasks that women have to deal with. Considering that the labor market is becoming increasingly competitive, this translates into a high degree of exhaustion.

Thus, the female burnout syndrome arises as a consequence of this crossover of responsibilities on the part of women: they are still required to take care of the home, and now they also need to devote several hours a day to competing in the labor market.

An economic problem and high demands

Thus, female burnout syndrome is, in part, a social and economic problem.. In the past, life was not so expensive, and the paid work of a single person could support a household. However, if women now also perform professional tasks, it is not only because a pro-equality movement has been promoted: it is because both husbands and wives are now obliged to work for money. However, this scenario of equality has not reached household chores, which are still something that women are expected to fulfill.

The other facet of the problem is psychological: women are prone to make their self-esteem and self-image as a mother or wife depend on satisfactorily fulfilling all the tasks required of them, without realizing that on many occasions they must work more hours than their husbands. That is why psychology must adapt to this new reality and offer solutions.