Well, it’s been confirmed: Mothers are way more stressed out by parenthood than dads are.
Gee, ya think?
Researchers from Cornell University surveyed a group of 12,000 U.S. parents in 2010, 2012 and 2013. They found moms were more stressed out because the balance of kid chores to enjoyable kid interactions was way off when compared to dads. The results of the study — published in the American Sociological Review — note that mothers spend more time with children on things like cleaning, cooking, chores and child care. (Not to mention mothers reported experiencing more sleep disruptions, having less leisure time and spending more time in the solo parenting realm.) On the other hand, dads spend more leisure and play time with their children.
“Mothers are doing different things with their children than fathers are, things that we know aren’t as enjoyable,” said Kelly Musick, co-author of the study. “Playing with their kids is a particularly enjoyable experience for parents. And dads are doing more play as a share of the total amount of time they spend with their kids.”
So who do we have to blame for this stressful outcome? Musick suggests moms might end up doing the majority of daily parenting chores because society expects them to.
I so feel this. I don’t work outside of the home, so by design I spend more time with my three kids most days. Still, the bulk of this time is sucked up by preparing, serving and cleaning up from meals, dealing with sitting on the potty or changing diapers, nap time, driving my son to school, etc. Playing still happens, it just isn’t an overwhelming percentage.
This isn’t to knock my husband, who jumps right into the chaos the second he gets home from work. He frequently relieves me of the kids by playing with them so I can tend to other tasks and catch a mental break. It works for us. However, his playtime percentage is definitely higher than mine. Not fair, dude. Maybe we should work on that?
In the meantime, society’s expectations should work on stressing out moms a little less. Thanks in advance!
Photos: iStock
What do you think of this study?
Share your thoughts!