Mums finding it tougher to be a perfect parent..
Survey finds out how mummies & daddies are doing with social expectations, health, money and wellbeing
SIGNIFICANTLY more mothers than fathers find it challenging to meet societal standards of good parenting, a shock new report has found.
The Mammies and Daddies report, launched yesterday by Coyne Research, reveals the stark impact of parenting in Ireland.
Among the key themes covered in the report include how parents perceive their own value and worth, how they deem the family unit to value them, and, more broadly, how they feel society values their role.
Revealingly, only 4% of parents find it very easy to align with societal perceptions and pressures of being a good parent.
And 65% have felt the financial pinch of parenting, citing their finances having been negatively impacted since becoming a mother or a father.
A starker finding shows that more than four in five parents (82%) are spending less than 10% of their time per week on hobbies and personal past times – a recurring theme of parents’ inability to find “me time” for themselves due to their role in the household.
More than half of parents surveyed (55%) said that since becoming a parent their physical health has gotten worse.
TOLL
Some 63% of these are women, which points to the disproportionate toll that parenthood takes on mothers – a fact that is recognised by both men and women.
Of those that describe themselves as their children’s primary care giver, an overwhelming 84% are female. Of those who said their partner was the primary child carer, 89% were male.
And of all those surveyed, just 15% said their physical health has improved.
The report findings, carried out on behalf of Aldi by Coyne Research to better understand the economic, emotional and societal impact of being a parent, are based on a research study of 1,000 mums and dads of kids aged up to 12.
Aldi Mamia and Me podcast host, Jen Hogan, spoke about how important it was to be having this discussion for families right now.
She said: “There is no doubt that being a parent is one of the most fulfilling, rewarding and – aside from the occasional tantrum – enjoyable experiences in life.
“But it is a job, and probably one of the only ones that comes without a ‘how-to’ manual.
“Now is the moment to take stock on what mums and dads are telling us, where they feel the pressure points day-to-day, and what we can do as a society to recognise and acknowledge their role more in today’s Ireland.
“We’ve already come a long way and it’s fantastic to see the balance of responsibility in the household not only acknowledged but shifting.
“That said, there is absolutely more that can and should be done.”