Are you bone-deep exhausted and struggling to cope? Do you have “insomnia, headaches, irritability, emotional flatness and a sense of being permanently on?” I mean, obviously you do, you’re a person existing in 2026, but you may also have a “competence hangover”. That’s what Grazia says some women in the workplace are experiencing. They are depleted by accepting additional responsibilities, over delivering, taking on emotional labour, supplying the Colin the Caterpillar birthday cake, and generally being the person to whom everyone complacently says: “What would we do without you?!”
It’s a familiar story in the domestic sphere, where women shoulder disproportionate responsibilities plus a bonus mental load. At work, as multiple surveys and reports have indicated in recent years, they are more likely to burn out (the “competence hangover” sounds like burnout lite). In large part this is due to difficulties reconciling the domestic burden and professional obligations. Other factors also amp up the pressure to over perform professionally: women’s extra hours are rewarded less than men’s, according to a 2024 study; presenteeism means women who work more efficiently (completing their work in fewer hours) are judged negatively for it; and they lack the “status shield” men enjoy, meaning they’re more likely to bear the brunt of negative emotions and perceptions. No wonder McKinsey’s 2025 Women in the Workplace report suggested for the first time that “women are less interested in being promoted than men”.
