Study: Why SuperMoms Are More Likely To Be Depressed (Katrina Leupp, University of Washington at Seattle 2011)
Finding: The strain to attain work life balance may be causing depression in some stay-at-home SuperMoms.
Note about The Woman Effect Research Index: This study was performed by researchers not affiliated with InPower Women. Our Research Index includes all relevant research to the subject of women, business and power. We do not influence how the research was conducted or reported by the researchers. In our abstracts, we focus on pulling out the most actionable advice for individual women. To suggest additional research we should index, or discuss our choice of abstract focus, please contact us
InPower Insight: Work-life “balance” is a myth and the more realistic we are about how challenging it is, the happier we are in the end.
Summary:
The ever-elusive work-life balance sparks new research out of the University of Washington in Seattle, bringing about the question, can work and life balance out for women without bringing on waves of guilt and depression? According to researcher Katrina Leupp, women who try to have accomplished careers and a desirable family life may be putting themselves at greater risk for depression.
Using existing data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Youth, Leupp evaluated the responses of 1,600 women aged 22 – 30, who were asked if they agreed with the statements: “Women are much happier if they stay at home and take care of the children” and “It is much better for everyone concerned if the man is the achiever outside the home and the women takes care of home and family”. Since the questions were asked 40 years in advance, Leupp asked the same respondents the same questions, when they were 40 and married with children. She found that stay-at-home moms were more likely to be depressed than women who worked outside the home.
Leupp suggests that women outside the home had the benefit of social interaction and the respect that came with them. Women at home did not experience this as much. Leupp also found that working moms who initially didn’t believe that family and work could be balanced successfully experienced less symptoms of depression than those who believed that they could. A final finding showed that women who didn’t believe family and career could be balanced married men who took on more of the housework and childcare.
Leupp points out that workplaces are still not designed for employees with childcare needs, and that women who have to take time away from family to answer calls or respond to emails, feel more guilt than men generally do.
“It could also be that women who expect to be able to balance work and family are perfectionists in other ways, and also have other unrealistic expectations that are likely to lead to depression.” Says Leupp, “Balancing work and family feels hard because it is hard.”
Career Coaching Tip: Don’t believe what other people tell you about how to balance work and life. Find a mix of the two that works for you and – work with it. The women who struggle to attain an ideal tend to be unhappy, so why go there? Don’t worry about the ideal, just build the life that is right for you.
