Moms who work part-time have healthier children, says study

According to the author of an Australian study, mothers who work part-time have healthier children than mothers who work full-time or are not in the workforce. The study calls for family-friendly work policies as an important means for promoting healthy family lifestyles and early childhood wellbeing.

What research suggests

Jan Nicholson of Melbourne’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, says children whose mothers worked part-time watched about an hour less television per week and led a healthier lifestyle.

“Our main finding is that children of mothers who worked part-time had healthier weights, which was linked to watching less television, snacking less, and being more physically active,” she said. “This was in comparison to children whose mothers worked full-time and those whose mothers stayed at home full-time.”

2500 children took part in the study

The study, published in the paper Do working mothers raise couch potato kids? looked at the weight and lifestyle of 2,500 kids when they were four or five years old and again when they were six or seven years old.

According to the study, the western world’s childhood obesity epidemic may very well be linked to mothers’ increased participation in the workforce. “Although employment reduces the time parents spend at home, mothers go to considerable lengths to insulate time with their children. They reschedule activities, sleep less, and allocate less time to personal care and leisure to ensure that time with children is protected. When mothers work part-time, there’s obviously something about the way the house is run, and the way parents are looking after their children that is protective,” said Nicholson.