Being a mum is like a full-time job. Pfft. Try two full-time jobs.
A recent study has uncovered just how many hours mums are ‘working’ every week. And the number is sitting at nearly 100 hours each and every week.
No wonder we occasionally lose our shit.
Overworked and under-appreciated – yep, that’s us mums. According to an American survey of 2,000 mums of school-aged kids (that’s 5 to 12-year-olds), mums are putting in some pretty intense work hours each and every day. In fact, mums work the equivalent of two full-time jobs a week.
Working 9-5… plus SO MUCH MORE
According to the survey, the average mum clocks in at 6.23am and doesn’t stop doing career or parent-related tasks until 8.31pm on a typical day. Yep, that sounds about right.
That’s a 14-hour stint which equates to 98 hours a week. Oh, and no weekends off. And also no holidays. Or sick days. And no pretend sick days where you actually spend the day drinking wine on the beach. Nope. None of those (unless you want to bring the kids and their car load of sand crap with you).
“The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mum can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of,” says Casey Lewis, MS, RD and Health & Nutrition Lead at Welch’s.
“Me” time is “wee” time
The survey also examines how many minutes a day mums get to themselves, which sits at 67 minutes each day. We’re presuming this ‘me’ time includes the 17 minutes after the kids go to sleep where you attempt to watch a movie (before falling asleep on the couch).
Oh, and let’s not forget the precious minutes spent in the bathroom, attempting to shower alone or pee without someone asking for a snack. Hiding in the pantry during hide and seek also counts.
Don’t you just love ‘me time’?
Looking for more explanations as to why your life is in a constant state of disarray? Have a look at these 7 completely valid reasons why new mums get NOTHING done.
