Working Moms Are Happier and Healthier Than Stay-at-Home Moms, Study Finds

For decades, working moms have felt guilty for choosing to have a career and a professional role outside of their household. The supporters of this belief claim that having a job negatively impacts women’s mental health since they were meant to raise their babies and keep a close eye on them instead of working full time. However, science has a totally different take on the matter. A recent study found that working moms are in a mentally better place than stay-at-home moms.

The Bright Side team has examined the findings of a study that shows that a fulfilling career, whether part-time or full-time, increases a mother’s satisfaction and sense of self-worth.

Both working moms and stay-at-home moms are good parents.

Some people think that staying at home will make mothering more fulfilling and efficient. However, a recent survey suggests otherwise. According to the findings, both part-timer moms and stay-at-home moms were able to be good parents to their children. The bottom line is that having a career will not jeopardize the mother-child relationship as many people believe.

Working mothers can be healthier and saner.

The study results found that working mothers, whether part-timers or full-timers, were happier than those who did not work outside the home. According to this study, there were no statistically significant differences between part-time working mothers and full-time job-holding mothers as far as physical health and depression are concerned, even though both groups reported better overall health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home mothers.

Another study suggests that women who worked full time after having their first child had better mental and physical health at age 40 compared to those who did not work at all.

The children of working mothers can be happier.

Based on another study, children are as happy as their mother is. So, if the mother has a fulfilling job, she is less likely to suffer from depression, thereby increasing both her and her child’s overall happiness.

Working women can be better at dealing with stress.

According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, stress can affect women’s emotional and physical health in a variety of ways including headaches, stomachaches, and back pain. Suffering from these symptoms chronically can harm the mother-child bond. Luckily, another study found that working women are more efficient at managing stress than nonworking ones since they face many circumstances in the workplace that make them stronger, more patient, and emotionally sound.

Working women can provide for their children.

Even when doing the same job, women reported a higher level of satisfaction and fulfillment than men. This result can indicate that being financially independent gives women more autonomy and allows them to provide for and pamper their kids. An enormous amount of stress is relieved when a woman is able to support her family financially.

The children of working mothers can grow up to be more successful and educated.

Many women choose not to pursue their professional careers because of social pressure and deeply rooted stereotypes. However, research shows that the children of working mothers tend to be more educated, daughters tend to be employed and have higher incomes, and sons are more likely to be caring to their families.

Are you a working or a stay-at-home mom? Do you agree with the findings of the present study? Let us know in the comments.