Many people aim for a balance between work and other parts of their lives, but few can achieve it. What are the reasons? How can these problems be overcome?

Many struggle to strike a work-life balance these days despite making it a priority. In my opinion, the main contributor to this is the rising costs of living, and such problems could be alleviated with financial support from the government. The reason why balancing between work and life is a challenge stems from the increasing living expenses in most cities. To illustrate, the price of petrol in Vietnam has nearly doubled over the last decades owing to inflation, yet the average wage has remained constant, forcing millions of Vietnamese to work longer hours to make ends meet. In addition, the oil price has just experienced another surge as an aftermath of the latest waves of the pandemic, putting these poor workers under even more pressure. As a consequence, many of them have no choice but to work ten to twelve hours or on weekends at the expense of quality time with their families. The government plays an indispensable role if we are to mitigate the adverse impacts of this pressing issue. One justification is that only the government has the financial capability to aid its citizens. The Vietnamese government, for instance, has subsidized billions of Vietnamdong to curb the price of petrol in an attempt to bring back a sense of normalcy and avoid overworking, and such immediate response has been well-received by the public. Another solution is that the government could join hands with private co-operations to increase the minimum wages, which has been proven successful in many European nations. If blue-collar workers like street janitors could afford their monthly rent or electricity bills, people would be more willing to spend time on recreation and private life out of work. In conclusion, while the rising living expenses make it incredibly challenging for people to have a work-life balance, such problems would be solved if the government are ready to provide financial support and raise the minimum salary. This calls for a gigantic amount of funds, and therefore not every nation could address the problem as they have more significant matters to pay attention to.