Women are reaching a breaking point at work

This year, the number of mothers with young children exiting the U.S. labor market saw the sharpest January-to-June decline in more than four decades. That isn’t a coincidence—and it isn’t a lack of ambition.

Across industries, women are reassessing how—and whether—work fits into their lives. Not because they want to step back, but because too many workplaces are still designed around outdated assumptions about who provides care and how work gets done. As leaders debate return-to-office mandates, women are quietly doing the math—and deciding whether staying is worth the cost.

This isn’t a women’s issue. It’s a design failure. And it’s one leaders can choose to fix.

THE PERPETUAL STRUGGLE OF THE DOUBLE SHIFT

The pandemic exposed and intensified a long-standing dilemma: how working women can balance their careers with family demands. Even years later, in dual-income households, women continue to shoulder the majority of caregiving responsibilities, often juggling work, childcare, elder care, and the invisible but relentless mental load that comes with it. Even now, many women are still working two full-time jobs: one at work and another at home.

In a recent workplace study conducted by my company, 65% of working mothers reported carrying more household and childcare responsibilities than their partners, and nearly half said they shoulder most of the mental and emotional burden at home. When workplaces remain rigid and unsupportive, that strain compounds, pushing women toward burnout or out of the workforce entirely.

Now, rigid return-to-office (RTO) mandates threaten to add more fuel to the fire. For the first time since COVID, most Fortune 100 companies have reinstated full-time, in-office policies, and women are among the groups disproportionately affected. In our study, three out of four working women said RTO mandates make it harder for them to stay in the workforce long term.

THE HIGH COST OF LOSING SENIOR FEMALE TALENT 

Supporting and retaining female talent isn’t only about equity; it’s about competitive advantage.  While losing top-performing talent of either gender can hurt, when senior female leaders leave, there are broader financial and cultural ripple effects.

The business case is well established: when women hold 30% or more executive roles within an organization, the company outperforms its peers. In a competitive labor market, the ability to attract and retain top talent—including highly educated, experienced women—can make or break a company’s growth trajectory.

THE REDESIGN: FLEXIBILITY, SUPPORT, AND TRUST

The solution isn’t another round of workplace perks. It’s redesigning work.

I’m a strong believer in the value of coming together in person. Offices create connections and strengthen culture in ways that are hard to replicate remotely. They provide an environment for collaboration and problem-solving. But returning to the office can exacerbate the challenges many employees—especially caregivers—are navigating if not done thoughtfully. How work is structured matters just as much as where it happens.

Flexibility isn’t about eliminating expectations or avoiding the office. It’s about trusting employees to manage their time responsibly and deliver results within a clear, well-designed framework. Our research shows that 90% of employees believe return-to-office policies—whether hybrid or full-time—are more successful when companies pair them with real support, including mental health resources, reasonable flexibility, and leaders who model balance and trust.

I’ve lived this firsthand. For nearly a decade, I built an executive career while caring for my father through repeated ICU and hospital stays and critical illness. I was fortunate to have the support of my husband, friends, and family—but what made it truly possible was the flexibility and trust my managers extended to me during that time. That trust wasn’t given lightly; I earned it through commitment and performance. In return, their support during one of the hardest periods of my life made me fiercely loyal to my company and a stronger, more empathetic leader.

Practical support matters just as much. Flexible time-off policies, backup care for emergencies, elder care resources, and mental health services aren’t perks—they’re infrastructure and are foundational to productivity, engagement, and loyalty. Companies invest millions in office space and technology. To truly benefit from those investments, they must also invest in systems that allow people to show up consistently, focused, and ready to do their best work.

And this isn’t only about women. Forty percent of men now identify as their family’s primary caregiver. If organizations don’t support them as well, the imbalance many women experience will only grow. I know from my own life that even today, I couldn’t manage my work and family responsibilities without my husband’s partnership.

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

Companies face a clear choice: cling to outdated assumptions about work and risk losing talented women or evolve how they support work. Some organizations will operate in hybrid models; others will return fully to the office. The real differentiator won’t be the policy itself; it will be how thoughtfully leaders design and support work within it, especially for caregivers.

Redesigning work doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means aligning expectations with how life actually works, and giving people the structure, support, and trust they need to perform at a high level. Workplaces built this way don’t just retain women—they build stronger cultures, develop better leaders, and outperform over the long term.

Alison Borland is Chief People and Strategy Officer at Modern Health.