Moms who work at least part time are healthier and happier than those who decide to stay home with their babies, a new study suggests.
Why being a work-at-home mother isn't easy : Being employed has multiple benefits for moms -- and for their families. The researchers found that those who worked 32 hours per week or less were more sensitive to their kids' needs, less likely to have symptoms of depression, and more likely to split household duties with their spouses than mothers who were not employed. And, the researchers found, even going to full-time status didn't adversely affect working moms' well-being. "It also may be that mothers who are home with children all day experience greater child-related stress which is relieved to some extent once children are in school," they theorized. "Additionally, mothers with higher levels of depressive symptoms may have more difficulty seeking employment or keeping a job."
The benefit was evident even when mothers worked just a few hours per week. "For whatever reason, part-time employment during children's early years appears to be a positive factor in mothers' individual well-being," the researchers found.
"Theoretically, an ecological framework suggests that a mother's participation in employment provides her with support and resources that a mother who spends full time at home does not receive,"These external resources then contribute to mothers' personal well-being."
But while work-life balance did get worse when mothers worked full-time, "the higher levels of conflict between work and family reported by mothers employed full-time were not reflected in higher levels of depressive symptoms in this group," the researchers concluded. "It may be employment in general rather than the number of work hours that protects against depressed mood when children are young."
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