New GreenShield Survey Finds 92% of Canadian Mothers Carry the Family Mental Load as Back-to-School Pressures Build

More than 70% have delayed seeking mental health support. Through its longstanding commitment to women's mental health, GreenShield continues to help women take the first step with a no-cost first therapy session, personalized therapist matching and convenient access to care.

TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- As families across the country prepare for the return to school, a new national survey from GreenShield, Canada's only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, reveals that Canadian mothers are shouldering a mental load that is heavy, largely invisible and taking a significant toll on their mental health.

92% of women carry the mental load

Mothers spend 4x more time focused on family needs than their own mental health

71% of women delay seeking support

According to the survey, 92 per cent of Canadian mothers report carrying the mental load for their families, while many say they feel "always on" as they manage the behind-the-scenes work of planning, organizing and anticipating their families' needs. This burden intensifies during the back-to-school season as families juggle new routines, financial pressures and competing demands at home and work. Amid these heightened pressures, mothers are spending four times more time worrying about their family's needs than focusing on their own mental health. The impact is significant: nearly two-thirds report feeling overwhelmed, while more than half experience burnout or anxiety. Yet despite recognizing the value of support, more than 70 per cent of mothers say they have delayed or avoided seeking mental health support, most often due to barriers like time and cost.

The findings also point to the growing emotional burden mothers carry related to their children's well-being. Nearly three-quarters spend significant time worrying about their children's mental health, while 86 per cent express concern about the impact of online content and social media. These findings underscore the need for mental health support that is simple, convenient, and designed to fit into women's lives.

"For many mothers, the mental load never really switches off," said Dr. Khush Amaria, Director, Clinical Services at GreenShield Health. "Much of the work that keeps family life running smoothly happens behind the scenes, from anticipating needs to managing competing priorities. Back-to-school can make that burden even heavier as families adjust to new routines and responsibilities. Therapy can help women better manage the pressures they're carrying, build resilience and develop tools to navigate challenges before reaching a breaking point."

For women carrying the mental load, support starts with a first step

To help remove the barriers that prevent many women from getting started, GreenShield continues to help Canadian women aged 18+ connect with a mental health professional through a no-cost first therapy session. Since 2021, GreenShield's Women's Mental Health Signature Initiative, has connected nearly 200,000 women from equity-seeking communities across Canada to free, culturally relevant mental health services, including access to this no-cost first therapy session.

The need is particularly acute for racialized, marginalized and equity-seeking women, who often face additional barriers to accessing culturally appropriate mental health care.

GreenShield Health, the health services business of GreenShield, connects individuals to a broad network of clinicians through GreenShield+™, its integrated health care and insurance platform. Through flexible virtual appointments and a personalized therapist matching tool, women can connect with therapists who align with their language, culture and preferences, often within 24 hours, making it easier to access support when and where they need it. This helps women, particularly those from racialized and equity-seeking communities, find care that feels relevant, safe and culturally appropriate.

"What stood out most to us is that mothers are spending four times more time focused on their family's needs than on their own mental health," said Mandy Mail, Executive Vice President, GreenShield Cares. "Women know when they're struggling, but they're often so busy caring for everyone else that their own needs fall to the bottom of the list. For many racialized and marginalized women, finding culturally appropriate care can add another layer of complexity. That's why we're focused on removing barriers and helping women take the first step toward support."

Key survey insights: 

• 92 per cent of Canadian mothers report carrying the mental load for their families.
• Mothers spend four times more time focused on their family's needs than on their own mental health.
• 71 per cent have delayed or avoided seeking mental health support, most often due to time and cost barriers.
• 74 per cent spend significant time worrying about their children's mental health.
• 68 per cent say their mental load increases during the back-to-school season.
• 65 per cent report feeling overwhelmed, while more than half experience burnout or anxiety.

This effort is part of GreenShield's broader commitment to advancing women's health across Canada. In addition to mental health services, GreenShield supports women through a growing range of health services, including GreenShield's Personalized Hormonal Health Program delivered through GreenShield+™, its integrated health care and insurance platform. Together, these efforts reflect a sustained, multi-year commitment to improving access to care and supporting women's health across life stages.

For mothers carrying the mental load, taking the first step can be the hardest part. Any Canadian woman aged 18+ can connect with a therapist for a no-cost session and explore available support options by visiting: https://www.greenshield.ca/en-ca/personal/mental-health/simple.

About the survey

The survey by Ipsos was conducted July 2-8, 2026, on behalf of GreenShield. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadian Mothers aged 18-64, with children under 18 in the household, was interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adult mothers been in this age group been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

About GreenShield

As Canada's only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, GreenShield believes health care is a right, not a privilege. We're dedicated to improving health outcomes, driving systemic change, and building a future where every Canadian can reach their full health and well-being potential.

We are revolutionizing the health care and insurance experience by bringing coverage and care together in one place. Through our unique integrated payer-provider ("payvider") model, we offer insurance, administer benefits, and pay claims as a 'payer' while offering health care services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine, and chronic disease management as a 'provider.' 

As a non-profit social enterprise without shareholders, we reinvest our excess earnings to directly support underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, we positively impacted the health and well-being of over one million Canadians between 2020 and 2025.

What's driving us now is the commitment to measurably impact an additional three million Canadians by 2030 – across mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management – through scalable initiatives that deliver meaningful change in pursuit of our mission of Better Health for All. 

GreenShield is proud to be recognized multiple times as one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures, certified annually as a leading Imagine Canada Caring Company, and honoured with repeat placement on Fortune's prestigious Change the World list – a testament to our sustained commitment to purpose-driven innovation and impact. 

SOURCE GreenShield

For media inquiries, please contact: Sarah Mortimer, Communications Manager, [email protected] | 647-221-9037