University of Akron assistant sociology professor Adrianne Frech and co-author Sarah Demaske at Pennsylvania State have released research finding that mothers who worked full-time were more likely to be healthier physically and mentally.
The researchers examined long-term data from 2,540 women who became mothers between 1978 and 1995 and found that by the time the women reached 40 years old, the ones working full-time were the healthiest. A woman who worked part-time had lower physical health than one who worked full-time. And a woman who did not work at all reported the lowest health outcomes.
"Stay-at-home mothers have worse physical health and it has to do with one income in the household or lack of access to health care," Frech said. The study defines a stay-at-home mother as one who is not in the work force or looking for work until the kids are 12 years old or older.
Frech, during an interview, said that even mothers who chose to stay at home because their husbands earned enough to make that possible came out with worse health outcomes in the end. That's because, she said, rates of divorce are high.
By tracking the data of women for nearly two decades, the researchers found women who stayed at home with children for long periods were less likely to obtain good full-time jobs with health insurance late in life when divorce may occur.
"What is a rational choice for a lot of married families leads to inequalities in women," Frech said, adding that "any effort that women put into families that is not repaid with a wage is a risk for them."
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