A lot of people hear the phrase “stay-at-home mom,” and immediately think of that job as easier than having a job outside the home. However, this common misconception couldn’t be further from the truth, and even some recent studies have shed light on how hard of a job being a stay-at-home mom is.
For those of you who are stay-at-home moms, it likely comes as no surprise how difficult of a job being a stay-at-home mom is. In a recent survey carried out by Aveeno Baby, 55% of people agreed that not only is being a stay-at-home parent harder than a real job- it is hard work. While there were 45% included in the survey said they didn’t think it was challenging, I am going to go ahead and assume they are the parent who steps back and lets their spouse do the heavy lifting.
40% of the participants said that you will “always be tired,” when you have a baby, while 60% didn’t agree.
This is not the only survey or study that has been carried out. In another survey, Welch profiled the day-to-day lives of 2,000 moms with kids aged between 5-12. What they found was that the typical stay-at-home mom works around 98 hours per week, which would mean they have two and a half full-time jobs.
In addition to those surveys, The Bump and Forbes carried one out that found that 34% of working moms wanted to be a stay at home moms, while 47% would prefer to not work at all. Most of those who were a stay at home moms agreed that it was done from necessity, and 48% agreed that it was a privilege that some families simply couldn’t afford. 43% of those said they have been judged for not spending enough time with the children they work to provide for.
And while those results may not have sold you just yet, there is additional research that was carried out by the Pew Research Center that found 70% of moms worked outside the home, with 43% of those claiming they didn’t spend enough time with their kids. Of those surveyed, 90% of them stated that motherhood is both rewarding and enjoyable, despite their struggles.