The report Work-Life Balance and Co-responsibility in the University Environment, presented at the University of Almería, offers the first comparative and rigorous overview of the real situation of work-life balance within the Andalusian university community. The research combines data from 1,498 questionnaires, discussion groups, and interviews with Teaching and Research Staff (PDI/PI), Technical, Management, and Administrative and Service Staff (PTGAS), and students.
Vice-rectors Maribel Ramírez (UAL), Sara Pinzi (UCO), and Mónica Domínguez (UPO) highlighted the document's importance for designing future equality policies. The study identifies common patterns and specificities of each institution, indicating that work-life balance issues are largely structural and gender-related.
One of the most striking conclusions is the gender gap in domestic and caregiving tasks. Women dedicate, on average, an hour and a half more per day to caring for dependents and 14 minutes more to household chores than men. This overload directly affects their careers: 67% of female PDI/PI consider that motherhood has harmed their trajectory, compared to 47.9% of men. Furthermore, women are more likely to forgo research stays (77.4%) and scientific publications (52.9%).
The report also points to a culture of 'hyper-availability' affecting PDI/PI, with high levels of emotional exhaustion and stress. 91.4% take work home, and only 23.3% manage to disconnect after their workday. Emotional exhaustion affects 50.2% of women compared to 43.8% of men.
The student perspective reveals that 48.4% cannot balance studies and responsibilities, and 38.76% have considered dropping out, primarily due to stress and anxiety. The report emphasizes the need to make existing equality plans more flexible and improve their dissemination, as many women avoid requesting leave for fear of judgment.
The study proposes measures such as flexible hours, exceptional remote work for caregiving, social action grants, and mental health support, identifying obstacles like poor dissemination of existing measures, presenteeism, and fear of stigmatization.
