Women, Work, and Well-Being

By Josey Murray -

Can women really do it all?

Many women feel like society tells them that they can have it all: a meaningful job that provides financial security, a thriving family and social life with time to care for kids and/or parents, and enough time to follow their own passions and hobbies. But both anecdotes and research suggest the reality is very different, with experiences of burnout, stress, and overall depletion at record highs. Checkout the research done by McKinsey & Company in partnership with LeanIn.Org in 2024.

With each incident of burnout, with each woman dimmed by the insurmountable pressure placed on her, the truth becomes ever clearer: We need more than self-care, more than resilience, more than empty congratulations for our necessary persistence. Might I say that we need positive psychology, along with the researchers, practitioners, and change-makers in the field, to illuminate paths toward female flourishing?  

In this issue of MAPP Magazine, five authors explore the challenges women face today in the workplace and financial systems and the potential for positive psychology to offer effective solutions, not just to address the individual, but to transform the context. 

How can women, especially those who identify with other marginalized groups, thrive in systems not built for them? How can women find balance in a society that is still not considerate of the unpaid labor overwhelmingly completed by them? How can women do any of this while “the cultural expectation to be endlessly capable remains intact,” as one of this issue’s authors, Jasmine Brett Stringer, says?

Our authors consider these hard-hitting questions and propose thoughtful, evidence-based frameworks to guide the way forward. After digging into this issue, we invite you to continue the conversations that consider fairness, equity, inclusion, and systems that truly grant us all the opportunity to thrive. 

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Running on Half Power

Why do women burn out, and how can they reclaim alignment?

Women are burning out in record numbers—not for lack of resilience, but because they’re often running on half power in systems that rarely replenish what they consume.

In this article, Jessie Reese (MAPP’25) presents research regarding the disproportionate and oftentimes unseen workloads women bear. Read about brownout, the quiet erosion of energy and meaning that precedes burnout, and preview the Environmental Alignment Model (EAM), a practical reflective tool to address it. 

She Needs R.E.S.T.

The cultural mantra that women can and should “have it all” has shaped an entire generation’s approach to work, family, and success. But the hidden toll is showing up in skyrocketing rates of burnout, stress-related illness, and emotional depletion, especially among women of color.

In this new playbook for women’s well-being in the age of overwhelm, Jasmine Brett Stringer (MAPP’25) introduces the R.E.S.T. framework, a culturally grounded, evidence-based solution for women navigating the unsustainable demands of modern life.

The True Cost of Female Entrepreneurship

For many, entrepreneurship is an extreme sport. For women—who must often face the psychological toll of building businesses in an inequitable ecosystem—it is particularly demanding.

Drawing on research from her recent study with her colleague Nonie White, Yvonne Biggins (MAPP’18) explores the realities of these inequities. In this article, read about positive deviants—entrepreneurs defying these inequities—and about the Best Practice Blueprint, six evidence-based practices for female founders to thrive and perform sustainably. 

 Female founders can flourish in a system not built for them.

Financial Thriving

For the first time in U.S. history, women have full legal, social, and institutional access to the financial system. Yet women remain under-engaged in wealth building.

In this article, Teresa J. W. Bailey (MAPP’25) and A.J. Scupham (MAPP’25) explore why values must be considered alongside money and how positive psychology can be applied to wealth management to encourage greater financial engagement and thriving among women.

There is a positive pathway to women’s financial well-being.

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References

McKinsey & Company, & LeanIn.Org. (2024). Women in the workplace 2024.

Image Credits

Running on half-power: Woman at the looms from the Art Institute of Chicago. CC0 Public Domain Designation.

Tired woman photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Picture of Yvonne Biggins and Nonie White used with permission from Yvonne Biggins

Plant in the coins by micheile henderson on Unsplash

This article first appeared on Positive Psychology News. To see the original article, click here. To comment on this article, click here.