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Research: Women, Ages 40-65, Struggle with Life Balance

Apr 1, 2023

The Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal study that followed a group of women for over 20 years, found that women ages 40-65 increasingly struggle with life balance due to dealing with multiple co-occurring stressors.

By Dorian Martin, I Start Wondering Founder


The Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal study that followed a group of women for over 20 years, found that women ages 40-65 increasingly struggle with life balance due to dealing with multiple co-occurring stressors. These findings were published in  Women’s Midlife Health in 2018.

Respondents mentioned the following as their top challenges: 

  • Changing family relationships, such as the death of parents, divorce or breaking up with a partner, domestic violence, and challenges with adolescent children.

  • Rebalancing work/personal life, such as difficulty finding work, workplace conflicts and downsizing.

  • Rediscovering the self, such as personal health issues or frustrated goal attainment.

  • Securing resources, such as financial resources.

  • Dealing with multiple stressors that happen at the same time.

Interestingly, going through the menopausal transition didn’t rank highly on this list.



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