Full-time working mothers are at least 40 percent more stressed, study finds

Full-time working mothers are at least 40 percent more stressed, a study has found.

W0men working at least forty hours a week with two children were found to have significantly higher stress levels than those who do not have kids. The findings, published in the British Sociological Association journal Sociology, showed that women with no children experience less chronic stress symptoms than those who have started a family. Researchers gathered data from people across the UK considering their stress levels, blood pressure, and hormonal changes. It found that mothers working full time with one child were 18 percent more stressed, while women with flexible jobs were 37 percent less stressed than those who worked inflexible hours. Chronic stress levels were generally lowered across the board when both men and women with two children worked less hours. Researchers said that the findings point to "increased psychological strain" when it comes to balancing work and family life. “Parents of young children are at particular risk of work-family conflict," they said.

"Working conditions that are not flexible to these family demands, such as long working hours, could adversely impact on a person’s stress reactions. “Repeated stressful events arising from combinations of social and environmental stressors and major traumatic life events result in chronic stress, which in turn affects health.”

They suggested flexible working hours as a means of achieving an acceptable work-life balance. Grand yeah, hold on. The findings came from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. They used data from 6,000 participants.