All moms know that life with young kids is going to be tough. Of course, you love your little ones to the moon and back, but this doesn't mean that you won't get stressed, tired, and fed up every so often. However, while many people believe that moms often get stressed because of their young kids, it has emerged that it could be the husbands that are causing the bulk of the stress rather than the children.
As we know, it takes two people to make a baby, but are those same two people always involved in bringing up the baby in equal measures? Well, according to figures, this is not the case, and more often than not, it is the mom that takes on the primary role of raising the children. In decades gone by, this was something that we became used to, as society deemed it was the man's responsibility to be the breadwinner while the woman focused on bringing up the kids. However, society has changed dramatically over the years, and there are plenty of women out there who are not only working full time but also earning as much as, or more than, their husbands.
Yet, these same women are still expected to play the main role in bringing up the kids, with the husband taking on more of a secondary role. There is no doubt that this makes life far more stressful for women in these situations, as they end up looking after the kids, the home, and their husbands in addition to holding down their jobs.
Adding to Stress Levels
A recent survey that was carried out suggested that over 45 percent of women said that their children put them under less stress than their husbands. This was leading to a range of issues including frustration, fatigue, headaches, and other mental and physical issues. The stress that their husbands were putting them under was not about being unfaithful or due to abuse. So, what is the main problem here?
Well, it seems that women are often taking on far more of the parental responsibilities for their younger kids than their husbands, putting them under increased pressure. Moreover, it is not just the responsibility of raising the kids that is putting women under stress but also taking care of the home because of the limited commitment to these duties from their husbands. For those women who were holding down jobs as well as taking care of the home and children, the stress levels were even higher. Also, many women said that they felt guilty if something went wrong at home or in the lives of their kids because they felt that it was more their responsibility than their husband's.
Do Men Need to Play a Bigger Role?
Following the report, some are questioning whether men need to step up to the mark and play a bigger role when it comes to looking after the home and kids. Of course, many men would argue that their focus is to bring in money so the family can enjoy a comfortable life. However, if the woman is also working and bringing in money, this becomes irrelevant because she is doing the same.
Some men would also argue that they do their bit around the home by carrying out maintenance work and odd jobs that need to be done. However, this is no comparison to having to cook, wash up, clean, shop, and do all the essential jobs around the home each day. To help reduce stress for their wives, men need to seriously think about how much time and commitment they dedicate to raising the kids and looking after the home, particularly when their wives also have jobs.
