Many women are finally reaching the top of the corporate ladder, only to find that any reward is overshadowed by exhaustion. Some have families and are balancing child-rearing with work demands, only to realize that both are full-time jobs. Others are choosing not to have children at all, and therefore cannot fall back on family for support in times of anxiety and stress.
There is a quiet epidemic among high-achieving women: high-functioning burnout. To the outside world, its victims appear composed—delivering quarterly results, managing crises and acting as emotional shock absorbers for their teams.
However, peel back the veneer of professionalism, and the engine is running on fumes. Many of these women are disconnected, exhausted, and quietly falling apart from the inside. Because they refuse to drop the ball of responsibility, no one notices how heavy it has become for them. Often, they do not admit the damage until the cracks are too deep to ignore.
According to a recent report from McKinsey and LeanIn.org, burnout among senior-level women has hit a five-year high. It seems the “having it all” narrative came with fine print that no one read: “you can have it all, just not at the same time,” and certainly not without paying a high price.
A Perfect Storm in the C-Suite
Adding to these women’s problems is the cooling of enthusiasm for diversity over the last few years. As the corporate world retreats from its DEI commitments, backlash has made firms risk-averse, thus no longer over-favoring non-traditional candidates—women and minorities. The C-Suite (CEO, CFO, etc.) is now harder to enter.
The data depict a bleak picture of midlife leadership. While senior men definitely experience high levels of stress, women reportedly burn out at much higher rates. For those newer to leadership (five years or less), the figures are alarming: 70 percent are burned out, and anxiety about job security is rampant.
This is not paranoia; it is pattern recognition. Women face intense scrutiny when stepping into power. By the time they hit their 40s and 50s—managing multimillion-dollar budgets, mentoring the next generation and raising children—the pressure to maintain a facade of effortless perfection is crushing.
The Burden That Gradually Drains the Soul
Burnout has transformed into a chronic condition. It is no longer just a bad week; it is a way of life. Work today is done at a frenetic, unnatural pace, prioritizing output over human well-being. It is a purely materialistic perspective that neglects the soul’s needs. If people are treated like batteries, they will lose their charge.
For executive women, this exhaustion hides behind a mask of proficiency. They lead board meetings and manage households with equal skill, and often take on the emotional baggage of those around them.
The frenetic intemperance shows in the margins: late-night emails, sleeping in airport lounges, and stolen moments meant for rest. It is a spiritual burden that gradually drains the soul of life. Many claim, “I just need a good night’s rest,” but for many, this is a denial of the real problem: the conflict between family and career.
The Stress of Family vs. Career
The most successful leaders are not the ones doing everything; they are the ones who have curated networks of support—outsourcing the chaos of management to buy themselves the bandwidth to contemplate the big picture. A company cannot be effectively led if the CEO is consumed by multiple responsibilities that demand total attention.
Yet for many career women who are mothers, this professional devotion comes at a steep price: isolation. The high demands of executive careers often require physical isolation, including moving away from home and friends.
Motherhood is a Full-time Job and a Noble Career
Women train and get an education to pursue a career. How much more so should they train to pursue the career of motherhood? A decade of medical school is required before entrusting a doctor with a scalpel, yet the formation of a human soul is entrusted to parents who learn through “on-the-job training.” It is, in many ways, an unimaginable irony.
There is nothing shameful in pursuing this most noble of careers that, if successful, yields the best of results. There is arguably no nobler career than that of motherhood, and the best example of that is Our Lady, the Holy Mother of God.
The modern claim that women can have it all is false, as indicated by the high burnout rate of women. It is time to stop the campaign against motherhood and save women from so much suffering. There is incomparable value in choosing the monumental work of raising a child over chasing worldly accolades.
There is no greater gift to society than that of a pious, dedicated and inspired mother. Through selfless dedication, a mother nurtures a lifetime of piety by laying the foundation of virtue. Rather than being consumed by the appeal of a secular society or competing for hollow corporate titles, perhaps the true challenge for most women is to embrace the maternal vocation.
Many feel that motherhood is a demanding and challenging task—it is. However, success is found in praying for God’s guidance. Asking Him to provide the grace to understand this unique and spectacular vocation.
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