The work-life balance for teachers has become increasingly skewed, especially for female teachers, new research confirms. Here are four solutions for making the profession more flexible.
Teachers in 2025 feel they have less job flexibility than similar working adults, according to a RAND Corporation study released this week. In fact, three times as many teachers as other professionals said it’s difficult to change their work schedule or attend to personal matters.
Teachers’ lack of flexibility stems from several job-related and personal obligations, including logging longer hours than similar working adults and devoting time to household chores and child care.
Nearly half of the teachers surveyed also said that their jobs make them too tired for activities unrelated to work.
Female teachers, specifically, reported having a worse work-life balance than male teachers while working the same number of hours. Female teachers, on average, spend 10 more hours per week taking care of their children.
“It is unrealistic to expect that district and school leaders can reverse longstanding gender disparities in household chores,” the report reads. “However, the teaching profession is predominantly female, and personal and life reasons, such as caring for children or family, have long been among the most common reasons that teachers voluntarily leave the profession.”
A lack of support
Meanwhile, less than half of teachers say that their school district makes an effort to help them balance work and life, the report adds. Teachers specifically ask for policies that help them manage their workloads and provide more flexibility around paid leave.
Here are four ways leaders can help, according to the researchers:
- District and school leaders should allow teachers to flexibly use their paid leave and provide classroom coverage to support instructional quality.
- Administrators should consider offering flexible job options, including team teaching or job-sharing opportunities.
- Leaders should provide teachers with benefits that could alleviate household responsibilities.
- District and school leaders should adjust their messaging and expectations to encourage work-life balance and help teachers set work boundaries.
Read the full report here.
More from DA: This new network aims to help female leaders thrive
