14 DAY TRIAL // A study conducted on 1,364 mothers reveals that women who choose to stay at home and take care of their children could avoid developing a host of mental health issues by taking a job, or simply getting out of the house more.
The study was carried out on women who had just given birth in 1991. Subsequently, investigators kept track of these women for as much as 10 years, apply questionnaires and conducting interviews at regular intervals.
According to the team that conducted the investigation, it would appear that working acts as a healthy tonic for women who chose to remain at home. This is very important since this behavior is known to be related to an increased risk of suffering from various forms of depression.
The group reveals that women who took on a part-time job appeared to be taking advantage of special benefits when it came to mental health, especially during the years when their children were still in their infancy, or of kindergarten age.
For the purpose of this research, investigators defined part-time work as lasting anywhere from 1 to 32 hours per week. For comparison, a full-time job occupies 40+ hours weekly, reaching up to 60 at times.
“In all cases with significant differences in maternal well-being, such as conflict between work and family or parenting, the comparison favored part-time work over full-time or not working,” says Cheryl Buehler, PhD, the lead author of the study.
The work was detailed in a study published in the December issue of the esteemed Journal of Family Psychology. Buehler is a professor of human development and family studies at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro (UNCG).
“However, in many cases the well-being of moms working part-time was no different from moms working full time,” she explains. There was no difference in depression symptoms between moms who worked part-time and those who worked full-time.
However, the difference was notable when it came to comparing women who worked with those who remained exclusively at home. The only differences that occurred between working moms was that those with part-time jobs had more time to spend with their children.
This translated into them being more sensitive with their kids, especially during pre-school years, EurekAlert reports.
“Since part-time work seems to contribute to the strength and well-being of families, it would be beneficial to employers if they provide fringe benefits, at least proportionally, to part-time employees as well as offer them career ladders through training and promotion,” Marion O’Brien, PhD, adds.