Parenting requires a lot of hard work and that's a universal truth. However, a new study reveals that it's moms who have a harder time at parenting than dads. Researchers learn that mothers are more stressed and less happy with their duties, especially if they are the ones doing most of the responsibilities.
The study, which has been published at the American Sociological Review, surveyed 12,000 parents from 2010, 2012 and 2013. The researchers also observed these parents' activities as a family and individually, and noticed a stark difference.
"When mothers are with their kids, they are more often by themselves. When fathers are with their kids, they are more likely to have other adults around, offering some back-up," explained study author Ann Meier in the research, according to Science Daily. It's one of the reasons why dads are less stressed or tired when they are with their children.
The researchers, however, emphasize that both moms and dads "generally enjoy being with their kids." But because mothers assume more parenting tasks than fathers, they tend to enjoy the work less. For many families, moms don't get as much downtimes, rest or sleep than dads when they are "on call" 24/7. Their routines are constantly being interrupted by the kids or the needs of the household, which can't be said for the routines of the fathers.
Things could slowly change as another study conducted by the Pew Center revealed that parenting roles are slowly converging between mothers and fathers. Some dads are supposedly helping more than what's expected at home. There are also mothers who are learning to become more relaxed with parenting duties and are considering spending their time off away from the kids to regroup.
Do you agree that moms are doing more work when it comes to parenting? Do you discuss this with the kids' father? How do you handle parenting stress when duties and tasks become overwhelming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
