Work Is Not to Blame for Women's Lack of Free Time; Time-pressure Is Often Self-imposed, According to Real Simple/Families and Work Institute Survey

NEW YORK, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The results of a new groundbreaking national survey, Women and Time: Setting a New Agenda, commissioned by Real Simple and designed by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute reveal that much of the time pressure experienced by women is self-imposed, due to trouble delegating and letting go of control. However, the survey also discovered that women who set aside regular free time are ultimately more satisfied with their lives (50% report being very satisfied, versus 41% of those who regularly postpone their free time).

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120307/NY66275 )

"There is a startling connection between scheduling free time and happiness—and an equally startling connection between the ability to delegate and happiness," said Kristin van Ogtrop, Managing Editor, Real Simple. "We hope these findings will spark a national dialogue to help women everywhere reclaim their free time and use it in a way that will ultimately make their lives better."

While 49% of women say they do not have enough free time, the culprit is not their jobs. In fact, 68% of women say that work does not interfere with their personal lives. And with recent research showing that men are helping more with household chores and childcare than ever before, why are women so stressed out?

For many women, there is a palpable feeling of guilt: 32% of married/partnered women often feel that if they did less around the house, they would not be properly taking care of it.

Interestingly, money is not necessarily a barrier to relieving many women of their responsibilities, with nearly half (45%) of respondents saying they would not hire more household help if they could afford it, and nearly 69% saying that they would not hire more child care if they could afford it.

The women surveyed reported doing tasks, including laundry (79%), cleaning (75%), cooking (70%) and organizing/de-cluttering (62%), during their free time, proving that women spend their free time doing copious numbers of chores.

While many believe that their spouse is capable, they don't think their partner would do the chores the way they want them done. A considerable percentage said they would feel uncomfortable delegating tasks like decorating (62%), managing the finances (59%) or organizing/de-cluttering (53%) to their spouse or partner. In some cases, women are more likely to delegate daily chores to their children (17%) than to their spouse (9%).

"In order to reclaim – and enjoy – our free time, it's critical that we shift our standards," said Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder, Families and Work Institute. "We are living with expectations of our ability to get everything done, before we take time for ourselves, that are totally out of sync with our lives."

Real Simple and Families and Work Institute set out to examine how women manage their time, especially their free time, defined as "time you spend on yourself, where you can choose to do the things that you enjoy." The nationally representative survey of 3,230 women ages 25 – 54 was conducted in October and November 2011 using an online questionnaire.

For the Executive Summary, please visit:
http://img4.realsimple.com/static/rsr/images/EVE105_WT_ExecSummary_LR.pdf

About Real Simple
Real Simple launched in March 2000 to provide inspiring ideas and practical solutions to help today's busy woman navigate her everyday life. Under the leadership of Managing Editor Kristin van Ogtrop, the brand creates a community in which consumers can share their ideas and learn about women like themselves. With a robust website, tablet editions, mobile apps, books, special issues, a strong social media presence and more, Real Simple enjoys a total monthly audience of 15 million.

Throughout its 12 year history, Real Simple has become a leader in understanding the modern woman. From rank ordering her day-to-day challenges to learning what drives her happiness, Real Simple insight includes: Problem Detector, A New Definition of Success, Women & the Economy and Technology and the New Type-A Woman.

Real Simple's latest groundbreaking study was conducted in collaboration with the Families and Work Institute. Its findings will be revealed in Real Simple's April issue.

About Families and Work Institute
Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that studies the changing workforce, family and community. As a preeminent think tank, FWI is known for being ahead of the curve, identifying emerging issues, and then conducting rigorous research that often challenges common wisdom and provides insight and knowledge. As an action tank, FWI conducts numerous studies that put its research into action and then evaluates the results. Its purpose is to create research to live by. For more information, visit http://www.familiesandwork.org and follow us on Twitter @FWINews.

SOURCE Real Simple