Single and Off the Fast Track: It’s not just working parents who step back to reclaim a life

Much of the research on work-life conflict focuses on working mothers trying to juggle everything, desperate for more time. But an even higher proportion of single women yearn for more free time, according to a 2011 More magazine survey of professional women over 34. Sherri Langburt, founder of SingleEditionMedia.com, a New York agency that runs a network for bloggers on singles topics, says that without a partner to help, singles must "get the laundry done, get to the gym, buy groceries and get to the job," plus plan social activities, dates, or volunteer work and sometimes care for aging relatives, too. Many of these women feel increasingly overloaded because they've set high expectations for themselves with carrying out all those responsibilities while still achieving high levels in their careers, all alone. Conflicts with child-rearing duties are often cited as the reason large numbers of women quit corporate jobs mid-career. But many single women without kids also consider quitting for personal reasons. "I wanted to have a life—a full life—which meant not just always working," said one single woman who quit her corporate job.