Research-backed
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From running after kids to running with files around! Women have probably mastered it all. Working while managing home and kids, another field where women excel, is something that calls for incredible patience and balancing ability, even for those women who are physically tough to give the men a run for their muscles! Albeit, the balancing act is a tough one to get it right.
In all of this balancing act, there’s a question. Stay-at-home-mom (SAHM), part-time mom, or a career woman? What is the right thing to do or who is happier?
Let’s break it down. Working gives you the financial independence, stay-at-home gives you the assurance that you are there for your kids whenever they need you, and being a part-time mom gives you the best of both the worlds. Let’s tell you the possibility of part-time moms being happier than full-time working or SAHMs.
A study(1)published by the American Psychological Association tells that working moms are healthier and happier than SAHMs during their kid’s infancy and pre-primary schooling. For the study, the team interviewed 1,364 mothers, post child birth and observed over a span of 10 years.
It was found in the study that part-time working mothers are healthier and are less depressed than SAHMs, while there were no differences in health and depression symptoms in part-time and full-time working moms. The research team also indicated that there were no major differences in the perspective of both groups of women in supporting their families and on being a better mother.
Cheryl Buehler, the lead author at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, says that the comparison favored part-time work over full-time or not working. This was true in all cases with significant differences in maternal well-being, such as conflict between work and family or parenting. However, in many cases, the well-being of moms working part time was no different from moms working full time.
The study says that both part-time mom’s and SAHMs were equally involved in the child’s schooling than full-time mom’s. Part-time moms seemed to be more sensitive to their pre-schoolers and provided more opportunities for learning than their counterparts.
The study, however, had a few limitations such as the focus on only one baby in the family and on restricted work hours. The authors recommended that research in the future must include other factors such as status of the profession, flexibility of work schedules, commitment towards work, and working shifts.
At the end of the day, no one situation is ideal. It’s a question of choice and circumstances for each one of us without having to feel guilty either ways. Whether it’s a part-time mom, full-time mom, or SAHM, all of them work equally hard and are equally committed to their children’s development. Let’s pat our backs for a job well done and be up and running the next day. It’s a role that we need to play every single day.
So here’s a thumbs up to all moms working hard at work, home, and both places while sacrificing a bit here and there to make everyone happy – only a woman can do it.
Are you happy being a full-time working mom, part-time mom, or SAHM? Do share your working experience or otherwise by commenting below.
