Employed Mothers Happier and Healthier than Homemaker Moms?

Mothers who are employed and currently holding a job are found to be happier and healthier as well compared to those who are homebound to domestic work. Working moms report being happier and have better well-being while employed, in contrast to common perception that working moms are often stressed and problematic.

The finding is based on a research study that compared employed mothers and those who are home-bound to provide care for their children. The participating mothers are selected from several states across the United States, and were interviewed throughout their children’s infancy, preschool and school years.

It is good to note that both full-time and part-time jobs are termed employment in the study. The mothers were also asked to rate their health as “poor”, “fair”, “good” or “excellent”. They are also asked about presence of depression symptoms and their relationship with their spouses.

Analysis found out that homebound moms are more socially isolated and more depressed, most especially if they are taking care of toddlers. Moms who work have more friends, report fewer depression symptoms and are better in terms of overall happiness. But the whole situation changed once the children start to spend longer times in school, at this time the happiness level of working and domestic moms is generally the same.

Holding a job is a means of empowerment to both men and women, though the latter tends to hold more responsibilities because of the children. Having a job means having a source of income. Even though domestic moms only have to problem the child, the fact that they don’t have any source of income leaves them with lesser option on how to relieve the stress of homemaking. It can cause feelings of helplessness, one of the symptoms of depression. Children who are going to school spend less time in the home, lessening stress to the mother and giving her more time for herself and to focus on having a job, reducing isolation and chances of having depression.

Even if the mother is holding a part-time job, the fact that she is working for her income is enough to provide feelings of pride, self-contentment and independence.  One more thing, mothers holding a job seemed to have no special problems regarding their relationships with their spouses. This is in contrast with popular perception of working mothers too tired to cuddle with their spouses at night.

The study is limited by the fact that it only focused on mothers with spouse and a child, and not on single mothers or mothers with several children.

 

The study is available in this month’s issue of Journal of Family Psychology.

 

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