Are Working Moms Healthier Than Stay-at-Home Moms?

By SunnyChanel | August 29th, 2012 at 4:06 pm

Are Stay-at-Home Moms Less Healthy?

I feel like I am always sick. If I’m not recovering from some sort of cold then I feel like one is coming on. This constant cycle of sniffles and sneezing began around the same time my daughter was born. Coincidence? It appears, if I believe this new study by researchers from the University of Akron and Penn State University, that it isn’t.

The study came to the conclusion that moms who work full time are in better physical and mental health than those who work part time or who stay-at-home. Not sure what this says about a full-time work-from-home type like me, but I’m always looking for a scapegoat so I’ll take it.

“Work is good for your health, both mentally and physically. It gives women a sense of purpose, self-efficacy, control and autonomy. They have a place where they are an expert on something, and they’re paid a wage,” study author Adrianne Frech, an assistant sociology professor, said in an American Sociological Association piece. The researchers also found that moms who work full-time not only make more money, therefore having access to better medical services, but they are not at risk of being socially isolated.

The moms who reported the most health issues were those who were “persistently unemployed” or were not consistent in having a job. “Struggling to hold onto a job or being in constant job-search mode wears on their health, especially mentally, but also physically,” Frech said. “Women with interrupted employment face more job-related barriers than other women, or cumulative disadvantages over time.”

Now the study isn’t saying that all women should leave the house and go back to work, but unemployment, along with not being physically and socially active, can reportedly lead to ill-health.

Do you think there is a different between the mental and physical health of working moms vs. stay-at-home moms?

Photo Source: Istockphotos

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