Fathers are happier when doing more housework, says study. The study also found that men who spend more time with their children and work similar hours to partners are less stressed
One of the important issues that we in the reflective parenting community are thinking about is how to create a work-life balance that contributes to our happiness as parents and as families.
We tend to think that women are more stressed and upset when this balanced is skewed. However, a recent study by Dr Caroline Gatrell of the Lancaster University management school has found that fathers also get distressed about this balance, and they tend to be happier and less stressed when doing more housework, spend more time with their children and when they work similar hours to their partners.
Catrell’s team spoke to more than 1,100 working fathers to find out how they combine work and family life. Their findings reveal that the desire for more “family time” is widespread among men too, with 82% of full-time working men saying they would like this. “The way we ‘do’ family,” Catrell says, “has changed – not only because mothers are more likely to go out to work but also because today both mothers and fathers want close relationships with children as they are growing up.”
Thus when you see a father who shares in the weight of domestic care and responsibility for the kids, not only does he help the mother but he is also contributing to his own happiness. What a perfect win-win solution! It appears that our intuition as wives was correct all along — rather than ironing our husband’s socks, making his breakfast and taking the lion’s share of responsibility for the children, just have our husband become a fuller partner in the parental duties!
This study affirms our intuition; a healthy work-life balance makes both mothers and fathers happier.
Photo by Alegro0
