Are Working Women Good Mothers?

Wealth and parenthood cannot be put together, especially for mothers, says a new study. Just the thought of money is enough to wipe out the happiness which mothers and fathers obtain from parenting. For working parents who are always thinking about their financial condition, something is amiss while taking care of their children, the study claims.

The study is published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Kostadin Kushlev of the University of British Columbia said parents with higher socioeconomic had decreased sense of meaning while taking care of their children, but this was not so during other daily chores. The money made them feel that they were doing less meaningful activity while taking care of their children.

In another revelation, the study says fathers and mothers react differently in such conditions. If mothers think about money, they seem to be more affected. Thus, the quality of time spent with their children gets compromised. But it’s not so with fathers. “This finding suggests that money tends to activate achievement and self-promotion motivations more strongly in women than men," said Kushlev.

Kushlev advises parents to keep work and family life separate, "so that work- or money-related goals are not active when parents are spending time with their children."

The study also said that parenting becomes a joyful experience if parents are positive, satisfied in getting the basic human needs and they are able to meet all their social roles.

The study suggested that other factors such as a parent's age, gender, marital status, and amount of social support were also to be considered. For example, a young or single parent with young children may not be able to get enough sleep and this brings in negativity and affects her quality of life which adds to the additional stress of raising young children.

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Source-Medindia