Balance isn’t a 50/50 split; it’s footwork under pressure. In the boardroom, as in boxing, your stance determines whether you can see the punch, take the hit, and still make the right decision. For women leaders, balance is not a perk — it’s the operating system that sustains judgment, energy, and credibility over long arcs of responsibility.

Let’s start with the facts. Globally, women still shoulder far more unpaid care and domestic work than men — about 2.8 more hours per day. According to the UN Women Data Hub that structural load shows up at work as time poverty and decision fatigue, often right when you’re expected to be most visible and decisive.

Inside organizations, women are signaling exactly what helps — and what hurts. In Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2024, 95 per cent of women believe using flexible work will hurt their career progression, and 93 per cent don’t expect workloads to adjust if they do use it. Translation: many women perceive flexibility as a trap — permission without protection. Unsurprisingly, Deloitte’s study finds lack of flexibility and poor balance are now among the top reasons women switch employers. 

The data also points to the antidote. McKinsey’s decade-long research on Women in the Workplace shows companies have expanded remote/hybrid options and that employees consistently cite higher productivity and reduced burnout as primary benefits when flexibility is implemented well. In other words, balance is a performance advantage when it’s designed, not merely declared.

Zooming into the Gulf, policy signals matter. The UAE’s federal adoption of a 4.5-day work week (with Sharjah moving to four days) normalized new rhythms of work and weekend that many organizations now mirror. It’s a regional case study in how policy can legitimize smarter work patterns without sacrificing results.  At the same time, World Bank data shows the UAE’s female labour force participation is approximately 54 per cent in 2024 — well above the broader Mena average — reminding us that when ecosystems support women’s participation, economies move forward.  The macro case is overwhelming: the World Bank estimates that closing legal and practical gender gaps could lift global GDP by up to ~20 per cent. Balance isn’t just humane; it’s economically rational.

David Ribott, Founder of Ribott Partners.

So, what actually works — at the personal, team, and enterprise levels?

1. Outcomes over optics. Make flexibility performance-based, not permission-based. Publish team charters that define core hours, response-time norms, and “no-meeting zones,” then measure on outcomes. Optics reward presenteeism; outcomes reward value creation.

2. Design for care realities. Back-up childcare, equal — and used — parental leave, and caregiving micro-supports aren’t perks; they’re capacity multipliers.. The test: if a senior woman leader takes leave, does the system protect her pipeline and workload, or does it quietly penalize her?

3. Calendar discipline as a leadership act. Default meetings to 45 minutes, cap attendees, and force agendas to one decision and two inputs. Convert updates to async. Balance starts in the calendar; if your diary is chaotic, your strategy will be too.

4. Manager accountability for well-being. Hold leaders to a dual scorecard: results and how they achieve them. Pulse real indicators (e.g., sustainable pace, clarity, predictability) and make it visible in performance reviews. What’s inspected changes.

5. Normalise “seasonality.” High-stakes phases happen, so prep for it.  Name the season, set a time-box, and rebalance after. Seasonality prevents “temporary sprints” from calcifying into cultural burnout.

6. Model boundaries at the top. Senior men and women need to show balance publicly — taking leave, honoring hard stops — so that flexibility doesn’t become gender-coded. Culture follows the most senior calendar in the room.  Lip service doesn’t work.

7. Sponsor beyond mentorship. Women don’t just need advice; they need air cover and access. Tie sponsorship to objective career moves (P&L exposure, critical projects, etc.,) that accelerate readiness without trading away balance.

For women leaders reading this, here’s my practical lens: treat balance like you treat cash flow — guard it, forecast it, and invest it where returns are highest. Protect deep-work blocks the way you protect board time. Make your priorities legible to your team so they can help you keep them. And remember: in a fight, footwork is what lets you see the punch coming and still throw your best shot. Balance is that footwork. It’s how you stay powerful — and present — where it matters most.

The writer is Founder of Ribott Partners.