Why High-Functioning Women Struggle to Delegate at Home
- Geenay Laubscher
- Aug 11
- 2 min read
The Invisible Expectations
She leads teams, meets deadlines, and shows up flawlessly in boardrooms. Yet at home? She’s still organising birthday dinners, coordinating laundry, and mentally logging every to-do — all while carrying a deeper internal question:
"Why can I lead so effortlessly at work but feel obligated to do it all at home?"
The answer lies not in her capacity — but in expectations.
1. The Unpaid Work Gap
Even in couples where both partners work full time, women still do significantly more unpaid domestic labor — on average 60% more. In the UK, that’s 26 hours weekly for women versus 16 for men.
And 63% of women report doing more than their fair share of household chores, compared to just 22% of men.
This isn’t a flaw in them — it’s a systemic pattern still steeped in cultural expectations.
2. The Emotional Toll: Guilt, Mental Fatigue, and Less Sleep
The mental weight of juggling roles — from mother to manager to partner — is more than physical labor. It’s the emotional burden of remembering it all: tickets, gifts, schedules, logistics. When women feel they’re not contributing enough — despite doing more — health suffers.
Studies show that guilt from household imbalance can harm both mental and physical well-being. On top of this, women reportedly sleep 25 minutes less per night due to domestic responsibilities, losing up to 156 hours a year in rest.
3. Delegation Isn’t Just a Task — It’s a Perception Shift
Delegation is a leadership skill — but women often associate it with failing, rather than freeing. Research shows female leaders:
Delegate less than male counterparts
Feel more guilt when delegating
Worry about violating expectations to be communal and caring
Yet, when women delegate, they miss out on the transition time needed to tap into strategic thinking, visioning, or restoration.
4. The “Chief of Life” Role Doesn’t Exist — Yet
At work, she has systems, teams, and infrastructures. At home, her mental load goes unmanaged — not for lack of capability, but because the role never existed.
That’s where Lifestyle Concierge service becomes transformational:
It reframes delegation not as weakness but as strategic infrastructure.
It transfers that mental load into private systems handled with care, clarity, and creativity.
It integrates support where systems don’t exist, so high-functioning women can lead — in life — too.
5. A Client Perspective
One client shared how hiring support gave her back presence — the ability to feel instead of just do. She ended emails with:
“I never questioned getting an assistant for work. But when support in my personal life became the norm... everything changed.”
It wasn’t the tasks she was escaping. It was the expectation that she alone had to carry it all.
Delegation Is Strategy — Not Sacrifice
Let’s redefine what it means to be capable. It's not doing every task yourself. It’s choosing to carry what matters, and letting a trusted partner hold the rest.
Curious what this could look like for you?
Explore Ten Ahead's Private Lifestyle Office — where being supported is a strength, not a status.
