Parent study No more stress than childless

Working mothers and fathers are not more stressed than childless workers

03/20/2014

Children or career? Many young people postpone starting a family because they fear that reconciling work and family life can be a heavy burden of stress. However, as the DAK Baden-Württemberg 2014 health report reveals, working parents are apparently no more stressed than childless workers.

Many young people are afraid of the incompatibility of family and work
Do men and women who reconcile child (s) and career feel more stressed than childless workers? Apparently not, according to the result of the Health Report 2014 of the DAK Baden-Württemberg. The cash register had 3000 Baden-Württemberg men and women in the „Rush Hour of Life "between the ages of 25 and 39 - a period in which career, marriages and childbearing decisions are usually taken.The study found that working people with and without children had the same levels of stress from chronic stress, by both reaching a value around 20 on a stress scale of 0 to 48 (maximum stress).

Stress at full time and part time equally high
How much work is done, the DAK would do after no difference, because even full-time working mothers would have no higher stress levels than women who do not work or part-time. However, there is a clear difference between parents and non-parents in terms of free time: Here, two-thirds of working parents in Baden-Württemberg stated that they did not have enough time for themselves, for just under half (47.4%) in addition, the concern to neglect the partnership. „Our results show that many mothers and fathers cut corners between their job and their children“, said the head of DAK health in Baden-Württemberg, Markus Saur. „Above all, they have enough sleep and a healthy diet on the track. Working with children does less sport than working without children.“

Results could be worrying for young people
The finding that working parents are not generally more stressed than men of the same age and women without a child could, according to Heidelberg health psychologist Karlheinz Sonntag, possibly deprive young people of concern about the incompatibility of family and work. Because a family can be very helpful to switch off from the work routine and recharge your batteries, the expert told the news agency „dpa“.

„Cultural change“ required in the factories
However, in order to be able to reconcile work and family well, there are still some obstacles in the study that make it difficult to relieve working parents. On the one hand, there are still insufficient offers of company kindergartens and emergency childcare, and only a few employers would encourage men to take parental leave. Accordingly, it is women who regard parenting as a professional disadvantage rather than men: According to the study, 54.4 percent of female respondents had the statement "Without children, I would already be on my career path“ With „Yes“ whereas only 12.7 percent of men agreed. Therefore, in the opinion of Saurs „cultural change“ take place in companies that allow mothers and fathers maximum flexibility. „In addition, the active in the child care father in professional life should become the accepted role model. Flexibility not only in terms of working hours helps to reduce stress especially in the rush hour of life“, continued the country chief.

„Rushhour generation“ lacks significantly less on sickness in the job than older and younger people

In addition to the topic „Children and career“ In the current Health Report 2014, the health situation of the so-called „Rushhour generation“ In the focus, whereby the DAK health to a positive conclusion succeeded: Because although with many men and women in this phase of life the personal pressure because of multiple load rise, this does not affect on the sick leave. Quite the contrary: Compared to younger and older people in the country, the 25- to 39-year-old Baden-Württemberg lack significantly less job due to illness.

Baden-Wuerttemberg achieves peak value in the sick leave
Even in the general sick leave, the report comes to the conclusion that the Baden-Württemberg citizens in the federal comparison apparently very robust: Here, the third largest federal state peaked at 3.3% (previous year: 3.2), which means 33 out of every 1,000 employees were sick on one day due to illness - there had been an average of 40 across Germany. The majority of health-related sicknesses (3.8%) were found in health care, and the least in education, culture and media (2.5%). The most common causes of failure were musculoskeletal disorders for example back pain (20.5%) as well as diseases of the respiratory system.

Employers should invest more sustainably in the health of their employees
But even if the health of the 25- to 39-year-old Baden-Wuerttemberger the current study is apparently ordered quite well, the companies should not rest on the positive results, according to Markus Saur: „If these particularly stressed younger employees are to remain productive until the age of 67, employers must invest more sustainably in the health of their employees“, so the expert, because „The low sickness rate of the 25- to 39-year-olds must not hide the fact that at this age the first approaches to chronic diseases are forming.“ (No)