Working mothers have better health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home moms, a new study indicates. The researchers also found that mothers with part-time jobs can balance work and nurturing their children better than those with full-time jobs.
For the study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, researchers analyzed data collected from over 1,300 mothers in the United States who were interviewed shortly after their child’s birth and underwent further interviews and observation over more than 10 years of follow-up.
The women were enrolled in the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Mothers who worked either full-time or part-time reported better overall health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home moms, according to the researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Mothers with part-time jobs were just as involved in their child’s school as stay-at-home moms, and more involved than mothers with full-time jobs, the investigators found. The study authors also noted that mothers with part-time jobs appeared more sensitive with their preschool children and provided more learning opportunities for toddlers than stay-at-home moms and mothers with full-time jobs.