If you are a working mother feeling stressed trying to balance your job and your children, you are likely not alone in this feeling. Working mothers experience guilt more than fathers due to "internalized gender stereotypes," according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands asked 135 mothers and 116 fathers to imagine a scenario in which their work life conflicts with their family life. In the scenario, they were told that they had a sick child but still had to go to work while their partner could stay home. They then had to indicate how guilty they felt in this situation and were also questioned about how much they agreed with traditional gender stereotypes that link women to family and men to work. On average, mothers reported feeling more guilt than fathers during this task.
The analysis, published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, revealed that the more fathers agreed with traditional gender stereotypes, the less guilt they felt when work interfered with family life. The researchers hypothesize that this may help "protect" fathers from feeling guilty. A separate study involving 105 women with at least one child under the age of 13 found that they felt guilty on days they worked longer hours. Mothers who held more traditional views on the "role" of women also experienced more guilt than those with less stereotypical views.
Lyan Arentzen, the lead author of the study, stated: "We were interested in better understanding why mothers are more prone to feeling guilty about work at the expense of family than fathers, particularly regarding their implicit views on parenthood. Our research highlights that these gender stereotypes not only shape evaluations of others but also shape how parents themselves feel about their choices between work and family. Stronger internalization of gender stereotypes linking mothers to family and fathers to work predicted increased guilt about work at the expense of family among working mothers and decreased guilt among working fathers. To achieve gender equality in work and family roles, overcoming the gendered aspect of guilt when parents' work interferes with parenting tasks is an important first step."
