British women running on empty, new research reveals
The number of men and women in work is closer than ever, with a majority of men (73%) and women (71%) in paid work. Yet, it's the unpaid load that paints a different picture.
The majority of women work full time, yet 14% still spend up to 20 hours per week on domestic tasks and household responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, shopping and admin versus only 9% of men.
Nearly of of the women surveyed said they covered the bulk of 'invisible labour' (Image: Credit MI / Optibac) Nearly half (49%) of British women say the bulk of 'invisible labour' - things like planning meals, managing the family schedule (e.g. children's activities and clubs, school admin, family trips) and remembering birthdays - falls to them all of the time. Just 1 in 3 (36%) men say the same.
With this cumulative mental and physical load, it's perhaps no surprise that nearly a third (32%) of women admit to feeling constantly stressed or on the verge of not coping.
Despite doing more, women are sleeping less, with on average British women getting just six hours of sleep per night (29%), compared to the average man who averages 7 hours of sleep (30%).
Worryingly, the NHS advises women to get at least 7 hours' sleep per night, yet the data shows on average, women are losing a full night's sleep per week.
Data uncovers sleep disruptors for British men and women
Sleep habits
British Women
British Men
Experiencing fatigue and tiredness
59%
44%
Frequent wakings, difficulty falling asleep and waking too early
50%
35%
Hormonal symptoms like night sweats and insomnia
29%
10%
The research also found women are shouldering a higher burden of health concerns, with more than half (52%) reporting experiencing anxiety, while two in five (41%) struggle with brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
Digestive issues, including bloating, irregularity and IBS, are reported by 29%, with 22% citing skin issues and breakouts and 1 in 5 (21%) reporting hormonal imbalances.
Despite this, women are more likely to dismiss their own health concerns, 69% say they've downplayed symptoms due to feeling too busy, compared to just 60% of men.
And worryingly, almost half (49%) of women believe men are more likely to be taken seriously when raising a health issue, yet 69% of men don't believe that's true.
Supermodel, TV star and Women's Wellbeing advocate, Jodie Kidd said: 'These statistics help scratch the surface of what it's really like to be a woman today with so many things to juggle.
"As a mum, fiancée, daughter, sister, carer, business owner and more - there just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all.
'And often, it's those invisible tasks - the school admin, the planning, the taking care of everyone around you - that are the hardest work of all. It's another layer of mental load.'
The Women's Wellbeing report further reveals that more than half (55%) of women say they feel guilty when they do take time for themselves, while nearly 2 in 5 (39%) men say they 'never' feel guilty.
With a combination of work, home and family, and societal pressures, it's perhaps no surprise that more than half (58%) of British women fantasise about quitting or pausing work and family responsibilities due to burnout compared to 45% of men.
Jodie continues: 'It feels like an important time to be talking about the hidden toll on women's health and the findings of Optibac's report, after all, we're only getting busier.'
'And this is why I'm excited about this new supplement Women's Wellbeing, and the difference it can make to women's lives.'
Kate Hennessy, Science & Innovation at Optibac, said: 'Our research reveals a stark reality and while it's fantastic to see women winning in the workplace, in 2025 they are under immense pressure, often expected to juggle careers, family, and home life while making it all look effortless.'
Recommended reading:
'As a result, many are running on empty, with little time or energy to care for themselves.'
'That's why we developed Women's Wellbeing - one supplement to support energy, mind, immunity, skin, hormones, and the gut microbiome.
"It's a multitasking combination of friendly bacteria plus vitamins for the stresses of daily life.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
NHS physician associates should not diagnose untriaged patients, review finds
NHS physician associates should be banned from diagnosing patients who have not already been seen by a doctor, a government review has concluded. The review calls for the government to overhaul the role of physician associates (PAs), who it says have been substituted in for doctors to fill staffing gaps despite having significantly less training. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, ordered the review of the more than 3,500 PAs and 100 anaesthesia associates (AAs) working in the NHS after six high-profile deaths of patients who were misdiagnosed by PAs. Prof Gillian Leng, the president of the Royal Society of Medicine, spoke to more than 1,000 people for the review and concluded there were 'no convincing reasons to abolish the roles of AA or PA' but there was also no case 'for continuing with the roles unchanged'. She wrote in the report: 'Despite the significantly shorter training, PAs and to a lesser extent AAs have sometimes been used to fill roles designed for doctors. The rationale for doing this is unclear, and was probably one of pragmatism and practicality, relying on medical staff to provide the additional expertise when required. 'This lack of planning may have been responsible for driving the resentment felt by some resident [doctors] and potentially exposed patients to unnecessary risk.' One of her main recommendations is that PAs should not see 'undifferentiated or untriaged patients', meaning those who have not yet been diagnosed by a doctor. Leng recommended further work to establish which patients they should be able to see and to set clinical protocols that would enable PAs to diagnose patients with mild ailments. 'Let's be clear, [the role of PAs] is working well in some places, but there indeed has been some substitution and any substitution is clearly risky and confusing for patients,' she said. Leng recommended PAs should be renamed 'physician assistants' and AAs 'physician assistants in anaesthesia' to ensure that patients and their families are clear on whether they have been seen by a doctor. She observed that this confusion was the core concern voiced by the bereaved families she had spoken to, who believed it was a contributing factor in their loved ones' death. She noted in her report that despite the role's rapid expansion since it was introduced in the early 2000s, there was limited data and evidence on whether PAs were safe or unsafe. Most concerns related to PAs being the first clinician to see patients unsupervised. 'Making the wrong initial diagnosis and putting patients on an inappropriate pathway can be catastrophic,' she said. The report found that 'relatively few doctors felt it was appropriate for PAs to diagnose illness' and it identified disparities between the tasks PAs considered right for them to carry out and what doctors thought. Leng recommended that newly qualified PAs work in hospitals for two years before they are allowed to work in GP surgeries or mental health trusts, enabling them to start their careers where there are more training opportunities and supervision. She also recommended more leadership training for doctors, who shared concerns about the lack of preparation for supervision duties, and better career development for PAs and AAs. She suggested a named doctor supervise each PA, while uniforms, lanyards, badges and staff information should be standardised to 'distinguish physician assistants from doctors'. Dr Tom Dolphin, the chair of the British Medical Association, said the report 'laid bare the catastrophic failures in NHS leadership that have put patients at serious risk of harm', but he argued the recommendations did not go far enough on national patient safety standards. 'Prof Leng has succeeded in exposing how NHS England introduced these roles and encouraged their expansion without any robust evidence of their safety,' he said. 'The report reveals inadequate national leadership, no accountability and no attempt to listen to the concerns raised by doctors, patients and coroners. 'The blurring of lines between doctors and non-doctors, aided and abetted by the GMC [General Medical Council], has been an unfolding disaster for all to see, and many doctors today will be relieved to see that they were right to raise the alarm,' Dolphin said. Dr Naru Narayanan, the president of the hospital doctors' union, the HSCA, said: 'Safety concerns will continue until a properly defined national scope is established. The review acknowledges this by calling for standardised job descriptions and clinical protocols. This work needs to be fast-tracked. 'Given how poorly these roles have been defined, and the fact physician assistants earn more after a couple of years of clinical training than resident doctors do after nearly a decade in medicine, it's not surprising there's been tension. We've got a shortage of medical training places and a limited supply of trainers. Additional support and time for senior doctors, as recommended by Prof Leng, are essential.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Six patient deaths linked to NHS using less qualified physician associates as substitute for doctors, government-ordered review reveals
Physician associates should be banned from seeing patients who have not been reviewed by a doctor to cut the risk of 'catastrophic' harm, a government-ordered review says. Their job title should also be changed to physician assistant to reflect the fact they are supposed to support doctors rather than replace them, it adds. More than 3,500 PAs work in the NHS and there have been previous calls for an expansion in their number. But health secretary Wes Streeting ordered a review last November amid concerns they are being inappropriately used as substitutes for doctors, despite having significantly less training. There have also been a number of high profile deaths of patients who had been misdiagnosed by PAs - sometimes unaware they had not seen a doctor. Professor Gillian Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, was commissioned to lead the review into the safety of the roles and how they can be effectively integrated into a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Presenting her findings yesterday, she said she hopes her report will bring some 'perspective' to what has become a 'heated debate', with some doctors expressing fierce opposition to PAs. Trainee doctors in particular are angry that PAs can earn more than them, work more sociable hours and take some of their training opportunities. Professor Leng acknowledged PAs have been used to plug gaps on doctors' rotas and called for major changes to how they work and are supervised. This includes a requirement to work in a hospital for at least two years before being allowed to practice in a GP surgery or mental health trust and a need to have a named senior doctor as a line manager. PAs must be clearly identifiable from a doctor, using 'standardised measures', such as national clothing, lanyards and name badges, she added. But Professor Leng also called for their scope of practice to be widened with some PAs allowed to prescribe medicines, order MRI scans and train to become more highly paid 'advanced' PAs. She said: 'Crucially I'm recommending that PAs should not see undifferentiated or untriaged patients. 'If (patients) are triaged, they (PAs) should be able to see adult patients with minor ailments in line with relevant guidance from the Royal College of GPs.' She said more detail was needed on which patients can be seen by PAs and national clinical protocols should be developed in this area. She added: 'Let's be clear, (the role of PAs) is working well in some places, but there indeed has been some substitution and any substitution is clearly risky and confusing for patients.' Professor Leng recommended PAs should be renamed 'physician assistants' to position them 'as a supportive, complementary member of the medical team', while the 100 anaesthesia associates (AAs) working in the NHS should be renamed 'physician assistants in anaesthesia'. Six patient deaths linked to contact with PAs have been recorded by coroners in England. One high-profile death involved Emily Chesterton, 30, who died from a pulmonary embolism. She was misdiagnosed by a PA on two occasions and told she had anxiety. The Leng Review said safety concerns in relation to PAs were 'almost always about making a diagnosis and deciding the initial treatment, particularly in primary care or the emergency department, where patients first present with new symptoms'. It added: 'It is here that the risk of missing an unusual disease or condition is highest, and where the more extensive training of doctors across a breadth of specialties is important. 'Making the wrong initial diagnosis and putting patients on an inappropriate pathway can be catastrophic.' Despite the shorter two years of training for PAs, where local NHS services have struggled with filling roles, 'the easy option in some cases was simply to fill gaps in medical rotas with PAs', the report went on. 'This seems to have been done without taking into account the more limited training of the PAs and how the roles would interact, other than with the caveat that they would be supervised by doctors. 'This lack of planning may have been responsible for driving the resentment felt by some resident (doctors) and potentially exposed patients to unnecessary risk.' When it comes to the safety of PAs and AAs, Professor Leng said the 'evidence is poor', with 'no compelling evidence' in published research 'that PAs were safe to work as doctor substitutes in primary care'. She also said the evidence was poor when it came to cost effectiveness. When it came to AAs, there were questions over whether the role was actually needed as fully qualified anaesthetists already face tough competition to find a job. Professor Leng, who spoke to around 1,000 people, concluded: 'I could be absolutely clear that the roles are not so unsafe that they have to be discontinued, but neither does the evidence support proceeding with no change.' PAs only have to complete a two year postgraduate course, rather than a medical degree. Some PA courses let students join after studying geography, human resources or English literature. Dr Tom Dolphin, chair of BMA council, said the review 'laid bare the catastrophic failures in NHS leadership that have put patients at serious risk of harm' but said its recommendations 'do not adequately protect patients'. 'A major opportunity has been missed to end the postcode lottery of what PAs can and can't do,' Dr Dolphin added. 'By failing to recommend authoritative, nationally-agreed scopes of practice, Professor Leng has ignored the most urgent demand of the medical profession, and left patients at the mercy of local decisions by employers who can still choose where and how assistants can work.' Dr Dolphin also urged the Government and employers 'not to waste any time' in renaming PAs 'physician assistants', as recommended by the review. The government is expected to respond to the review in a written ministerial statement to Parliament today.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Only doctors should diagnose patients, not PAs, Government review says
Physician associates (PAs) should be banned from diagnosing patients who have not already had contact with a doctor for their illness, a Government-ordered review has found. The report also acknowledged that NHS PAs have been used as substitutes for doctors, despite having significantly less training. As such, calls for a major change to the role of PAs have also been made. More than 3,500 PAs and 100 anaesthesia associates (AAs) are working in the NHS and there have been previous calls for an expansion in their number. But a general lack of support for the roles from the medical profession – plus high-profile deaths of patients who were misdiagnosed by PAs – led Health Secretary Wes Streeting to order a review. Presenting her findings, Professor Gillian Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: 'Crucially I'm recommending that PAs should not see undifferentiated or untriaged patients. 'If (patients) are triaged, they (PAs) should be able to see adult patients with minor ailments in line with relevant guidance from the Royal College of GPs.' She said more detail was needed on which patients can be seen by PAs and national clinical protocols should be developed in this area. She added: 'Let's be clear, (the role of PAs) is working well in some places, but there indeed has been some substitution and any substitution is clearly risky and confusing for patients.' Prof Leng also recommended PAs should be renamed 'physician assistants' to position them 'as a supportive, complementary member of the medical team', while AAs should be renamed 'physician assistants in anaesthesia'. Newly qualified PAs should also work in hospitals for two years before they are allowed to work in GP surgeries or mental health trusts. The study said safety concerns in relation to PAs were 'almost always about making a diagnosis and deciding the initial treatment, particularly in primary care or the emergency department, where patients first present with new symptoms.' It added: 'It is here that the risk of missing an unusual disease or condition is highest, and where the more extensive training of doctors across a breadth of specialties is important. 'Making the wrong initial diagnosis and putting patients on an inappropriate pathway can be catastrophic.' Despite the shorter two years of training for PAs, where local NHS services have struggled with filling roles, 'the easy option in some cases was simply to fill gaps in medical rotas with PAs', the report went on. 'This seems to have been done without taking into account the more limited training of the PAs and how the roles would interact, other than with the caveat that they would be supervised by doctors. 'This lack of planning may have been responsible for driving the resentment felt by some resident (doctors) and potentially exposed patients to unnecessary risk.' The study noted concerns in the medical profession about the impact on training and employment of resident doctors when PAs take on tasks. When it comes to the safety of PAs and AAs, Prof Leng said the 'evidence is poor', with 'no compelling evidence' in published research 'that PAs were safe to work as doctor substitutes in primary care'. She also said the evidence was poor when it came to cost effectiveness. The report said that while research suggests patients are satisfied after seeing a PA, some did not know they were not seeing a doctor. Many doctors also told the review they were concerned about the time required to supervise PAs and AAs and the lack of training for supervisors about the role of PAs. A survey conducted for the report found 'relatively few doctors felt it was appropriate for PAs to diagnose illness', with only 29% of those working with PAs in primary care backing this, and 14% in secondary care. The survey also found 'marked differences in which tasks were considered appropriate in primary and secondary care, with PAs significantly more likely than doctors to believe that certain activities were appropriate for them to carry out'. When it came to AAs, there were also questions over whether the role was actually needed as fully qualified anaesthetists already face tough competition to find a job. Prof Leng concluded there were 'no convincing reasons to abolish the roles of AA or PA' but there is also no case 'for continuing with the roles unchanged'. She recommended that both PAs and AAs should have the opportunity for ongoing training and development, with potential to prescribe medicines in the future, and they should also should have the opportunity to become an 'advanced' PA or AA. A named doctor should take overall responsibility for each PA, while clothing, lanyards, badges and staff information should be standardised to 'distinguish physician assistants from doctors'. Six patient deaths linked to contact with PAs have been recorded by coroners in England. One high-profile death involved Emily Chesterton, 30, who died from a pulmonary embolism. She was misdiagnosed by a PA on two occasions and told she had anxiety. Unison head of health, Helga Pile, said: 'By working closely with doctors and other healthcare professionals, these roles can make a real difference to the improvement of services and reduction of waiting lists. 'Clearer identification of physician associates and anaesthesia associates will give patients a greater understanding of who's delivering their care and what they can expect. '
