Life/work balance : Key findings of the quality of women's lives survey

The act of juggling work and home responsibilities is an issue for all working Canadians, and recent studies show it is worse than ever. A 2012 nation-wide study reveals a startling increase in hours worked, with 68% of men and 54% of women working more than 45 hours a week; compared with 55% of men and 39% of women in 2001. At the same time flexible time arrangements have dropped by a third in the past decade, making the balancing act that much more challenging. The workplace has changed, and the employment rate for women has increased substantially in recent decades. Women in their so-called prime working years aged 25 to 54 have experienced the greatest shift, with 82% now in the paid labour force, compared to 52% in 1976. Although women have taken on more paid work, they have not seen a corresponding drop in unpaid work in the home, making life/work balance more stressful for women.