Causes of Stress and Burnout among Working Mothers in Pakistan

Abstract

Review of literature revealed that there is lack of empirical studies on the job burnout particularly among working mothers in Pakistan. The present study therefore examined the main causes and reasons of job burnout among working mothers in Pakistan. In this study, the lived experiences of working mothers in twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi towards stress and burnout were examined. This qualitative study interviewed 12 Pakistani working mothers. By using phenomenological method several themes and sub themes emerged which provided a description of the experience. Four themes work health factor, work overload, work environment, work family conflict and six sub themes emerged from the data. This work explores the reasons of the burnout among working mothers and provides recommendations for further examination. Interview results show that participants are going through the same level of stress at the certain stage.