Month: November 2024

It’s (supposed to be) the most wonderful time of the year! And yes, of course, we get to spend time with family and friends making memories that will last us a lifetime, but that’s also a ton of pressure. And as the data proved to us this month, that pressure exists stronger for women than it does men.

• Only 27% of women say they are able to relax over the holidays, compared to 41% of men – American Psychological Association, 2006
• And 44% of women report an increase in stress during the holiday season, compared to only 31% of men – American Psychological Association, 2006
• Yet, 68% of women said they could have used more emotional support than they received in the last year – American Psychological Association, 2023
• And 71% of people who feel supported by their community say they experience stress less than those who do not feel supported – Meta-Gallup, 2022

If there’s anything we take away from this data story, it’s how important it is to check in on the women in your life this time of year. Send her a note of appreciation. Lend her a hand. Give her a foot massage. Or just tell her you care, and that she’s doing great. Perhaps if we all leaned into a small act of kindness for the women we love, we can up that first data point so MORE than just 27% of women can relax over the holidays this time of year. Happy holidays, all!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we did a little digging this month into how Americans celebrate the upcoming holiday. What we ended up unpacking were gender gaps around roles and responsibilities when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal. That little rabbit hole then led us to uncover not only a gender gap in holiday cooking, but meal prep in year round.

• 82% of Americans say they will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a home-cooked meal – YouGov, 2021
• And 48% of women say they do all or most of the Thanksgiving cooking, only 24% of men say the same – YouGov, 2021
• Yet, 4.7 more meals, on average per week, are cooked by women than men worldwide – Gallup, 2023
• And 80% of women do most of the grocery shopping in households where a partner/spouse and children are present – Capital One, 2023

These gaps, alone, standout, but when we look at them alongside other data points – such as women making up 47% of the US civilian labor force in 2023, up from 30% in 1950 (Pew Research) and women often spending 10x more time than men on unpaid care, volunteer, and domestic work (Men Care) – it really starts to amplify the gender gaps around something as finite as a Thanksgiving Day meal. To all the women already planning that feast, know you are seen and valued. And to all those supporting women planning that feast, know that 62% of them say the most stressful part of the meal is the clean-up… please lend a hand! Enjoy the holiday, all.