Why Are Mothers More Stressed Than Fathers?
Why are mothers more stressed than fathers?
Scientific results show that women are more likely than men to be unhappy because of parental responsibilities. Why are mothers more stressed by these tasks? What do you think?
Why are mothers more stressed than fathers?
Parenting involves a number of obligations that are very stressful. The daily routines, duties and the resulting loss of time for yourself can be overwhelming. That seems a lot more difficult for women than for men. But why are mothers more stressed than fathers from this new everyday life?
We believe that, on the one hand, it has to do with the pursuit of perfection that is common to many women. On the other hand, it is often due to a lack of support from the partner.
What happens when two people lose their rhythm with the same routine? Most of the time, one person does the lion’s share of the work. When a mother realizes that her partner is not helping, or not helping properly, it can be very stressful for her.
When it comes to parental care, it is not the fathers who are responsible for long periods of time. They’re usually only involved for a while, so they’re not that stressed out.
You know: when the mother comes, shift changes are the order of the day. But it is not the other way around. When the mother has her hands full with the children and the father comes home, he does not relieve them.
Why are mothers more stressed than fathers? That’s what the data says!
The American Cornell University carried out a study together with the Minnesota Population Center. It analyzed the time men and women spent looking after the children. That alone was enough to show the world of difference.
According to the results of the study, not only do women spend more time with children, but they also do more of the chores that go with them. If these were simple and fully satisfying, then the time devoted to them would not have a particularly negative effect on our nerves.
In such cases it can be seen that women are significantly more stressed and dissatisfied than men.
The study included 12,000 cases and was carried out over a period of 3 years. The parents’ feelings compared to the time spent for the children were examined.
The indicators that were in focus were on the one hand the time and on the other hand the type of activities that the mothers and fathers did. The parents’ environment was also relevant to the study.
Since mothers do a lot of the chores for the children, they have less time to simply enjoy with their children. They also hardly have any time for themselves. Fathers are more likely to spend their free time than mothers.
Mothers enjoy spending less time with their children
Let’s look at the following situation: a father comes home after a long and tiring day at work. In the meantime, the mother has prepared dinner and the children are watching TV.
What is the father doing? In most cases he will rest or sit with the children for a while.
However, the mother does not have time for this. She has to cook, put dinner on the table, and then put the kitchen back in order. By the time that is done, she will feel stressed. It results from all the household chores, looking after the children and possibly also from their job.
After all this, they are sadly no longer able to enjoy the rest of the day with the children or their partner.
These situations repeat themselves on different levels. For example, if the father is responsible for the children, then he probably goes to the movies with them, fetches ice cream or goes to the playground with them.
But mothers cannot do that because they are expected to work to keep the rest of the family happy.
The expectations that weigh on our shoulders
It is also common for a mother to ask her partner to go to the park with the children, or something similar, so that she can do the laundry or tidy up the house while she is doing it. As is so often the case, we sacrifice ourselves for the family, and in the end we are dissatisfied with something that actually gives us a lot of joy.
Being a mother doesn’t make us unhappy. Rather, it is the way in which we deal with the demands and expectations that are placed on us.
It is our need that we make sure that nothing is lacking in the family that costs us time for ourselves. This is the time we could enjoy with the kids.
