Conversations about gender equality in the workplace are not new. For years, companies have published diversity reports, celebrated International Women’s Day, and launched initiatives to improve representation. And yet, for many women, especially those in mid-career or leadership roles, the sense of progress is not felt. If anything, the burden is growing heavier.

In her Forbes article, What’s Holding Back Working Women? Eva Epker articulates this tension clearly. The barriers have not disappeared - they’ve simply become more complex. And for many women, particularly those juggling professional ambition with personal responsibilities, the result is rising anxiety, sustained pressure, and an unspoken question: is this worth it?

Progress on Paper, Pressure in Practice
The headline figures suggest improvement. More women than ever are entering professional roles. Leadership development schemes are increasingly gender-balanced. Parental leave policies have expanded. Flexible work is more common than it was five years ago.

But data cited in the article paints a very different picture of lived experience. In a recent study, 70% of working mothers reported experiencing burnout. Only 28% of working fathers reported the same. Half of working women surveyed reported higher stress levels than in the previous year, with figures rising to 60% for women of colour. In another set of data, 69% of mental health leaves of absence were taken by women, yet 66% said they did not feel comfortable disclosing the reason to their employer.

These numbers suggest something troubling: we may be retaining women in the workforce, but we are not supporting them to thrive. Instead, we are asking them to adapt to structures that were never designed for them, then praising their resilience when they quietly endure.

The Cost of Visibility
One of the more insidious dynamics Epker highlights is that success does not always ease the burden, it can increase it. Women promoted into senior roles often feel they must work harder to prove their legitimacy. They are expected to be visible, present, committed, and emotionally available, often while still handling an unequal share of care responsibilities or informal workplace labour.

This expectation creates a tension between performance and sustainability. Many women report that they feel pressure to avoid showing stress, to never say no, and to manage everything without complaint. In short, they feel they must be exceptional just to be considered equal.

Systems, Not Shortcomings
Too often, discussions about women’s career progression focus on personal development. Confidence workshops, time management tools, resilience training - these are frequently offered as solutions to structural challenges. But the problem is not that women lack confidence. The problem is that they are working in systems where success requires self-erasure, constant availability, or emotional suppression.

When a high-performing, ambitious professional starts to question whether her success is sustainable, that’s not a personal weakness, it’s a cultural signal. Anxiety, burnout, and attrition are not individual failings. They are structural consequences.

What Needs to Change
Improving gender equality in the workplace is no longer just a question of recruitment. It is about retention, wellbeing, and redesigning the conditions in which people work. That means moving beyond policy fixes and into cultural change. Flexible working must be normalised across all levels, not quietly penalised. Sponsorship must replace passive mentorship. Workplaces must be safe to speak about mental health without risking reputational harm. And leadership must model this, not just encourage it.

Perhaps most importantly, we must stop expecting women to absorb the emotional and operational burdens of fixing inequality from within. It is not their responsibility to tolerate the system, it is the system’s responsibility to change.

Final Reflection
Progress on paper can be misleading. Representation tells us who’s in the room. It does not tell us how they’re treated once they arrive. If women are still contorting themselves to fit into leadership cultures, still staying silent about burnout, still doubting their place while being told they’ve "made it" - then something is deeply broken.

It is time to stop asking women to prove they belong, and instead start building workplaces where belonging is not conditional. I’d welcome thoughts from others: What has actually changed for the better in your workplace - and what hasn’t?

#WomenAtWork #WorkplaceCulture #Burnout #Equity #Inclusion #Leadership #MentalHealth #Retention #ForbesInsights