If you’re a working parent, then you’re likely well-aware that balancing your career and the needs of your children is one tough job. Of course, your kids come first, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to leave the office in the middle of the day to pick up your sick son or to skip the piano recital because of an important meeting.
But the good news is more parents, especially moms, have jobs outside the home than ever before, so you have more emotional support than working women of previous generations. In fact, a new study from Pew Research Center found that both parents work outside the home in 46 percent of two-parent households in 2015, compared to just 31 percent in 1970.
The downside? Working parents may be the new norm, but workplace and federal policies have yet to catch up to their needs, leaving them just as stressed and overworked as ever. Through phone interviews with 1,807 parents with kids under 18 from all 50 states, the Pew study found some harrowing stats about achieving work family balance today.
- Mothers in most households do the lion’s share of childcare regardless of whether they work full-time, part-time or stay at home.
- More than half – 56 percent – of all working parents say it’s difficult to balance their professional and family responsiblities.
- One in five moms who work full-time say balancing work and family is very difficult, compared to 12 percent of dads.
- Forty-one percent of working moms say having kids makes it harder to advance their career, as opposed to just 20 percent of dads.
- Striking a good work-life balance affects how parents feel about parenting overall; of the parents who struggle with work life balance, only 36 percent say parenting is enjoyable all the time, compared to 50 percent of parents who have a good work-life balance.
- Thirty-two percent of parents who struggle with work-life balance say parenting is stressful all the time, compared to 15 percent of parents who have a good work-life balance.
- Four in 10 full-time working moms say they always feel rushed and feel they spend too little time with their kids.
These numbers prove how much work there is to be done for all working parents to feel supported, but the study found some positive trends, too. For example, dads spend fewer hours at work and take a more active role in childcare and around the house than dads of previous generations. And in over half of working households, both mom and dad are equally focused on their careers.
Until policies reflect how many working parents there are, it helps to know some tips and tricks to balancing a job and family. You should never be afraid to ask for help, whether it’s from friends, neighbors or even your boss. Try to establish boundaries and set aside time each day that’s just family time. And be flexible and forgive yourself when things don’t work out.
Now, working parents, because you’re living proof of these stats, let’s hear from you.
What are your tips for achieving work-life balance? What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you as a working parent? What workplace and federal policies would you like to see? Share your thoughts in the comments below and they could be featured in a story like this one.