Family in constant stress

Study reveals stress levels of families

12/09/2012

The Institute for Demoscopy Allensbach has on behalf of the household products manufacturer „Vorwerk“ carried out a representative survey of families in Germany in June, stating that stress levels and stress are significantly higher in many families. Especially mothers rub up between work, children and household. In the case of the fathers, however, the stress is predominantly due to their occupation, which often still requires them after their official service. Often fathers, when they are sole earners, are under tremendous pressure to ensure the economic security of the family.

For the Vorwerk Family Study 2012, the Allensbach Institute interviewed a total of 1,617 people aged 16 and over. Study leader Rüdiger Schulz explained that parents see themselves under considerable pressure to perform. „On the one hand the professional expectations, on the other hand the increased expectations of the mother role“, Schulz continues. The parents mean that „to have to offer everything today“, Whether support courses, music making or sports, explained the expert. In addition, 29 percent of employees also work after hours or have to be reachable for customers or supervisors. This is true „executives and senior officials (54 percent) and the self-employed (63 percent) in a special way“. You often find it difficult „to switch off in their spare time and not to think about the work“.

Working mothers under constant stress
According to the results of the Vorwerk Family Study 2012, the workload for the working mothers, who work around one third part-time, is particularly high. Although they are less likely to be available after work for professional purposes, the multiple burden of work, household and family beat them more. For example, 55 percent of working mothers said they were unable to relax in their spare time, while among fathers the proportion was 49 percent. Apparently, many working parents barely come to rest. According to the results of the Vorwerk family study, women are even more heavily burdened than men. According to the researchers, this is also reflected in the fact that when asked what they would do with one hour more time a day, women often stated that they would use it for themselves.

„One hour more free time a day“ 65 percent of working men with children under the age of 18 say they use it to spend more time with their family. This could „be interpreted as a signal that men would like to spend more time with the offspring - if the family policy conditions were given“, explained the researchers of the Allensbach Institute. The mothers are also the number one mothers - 48 percent would spend an hour more free time for the family - but 40 percent of working mothers said they would prefer to use this time for themselves. Especially women between the ages of 45 and 60 years, „who often rub shoulders between work, children, their own parents and the household, want more time for themselves (63 percent)“, This is the current press release on the results of the Vorwerk Family Study 2012.

Desires and reality diverge
In general, the researchers found in the information provided by respondents at the time spent with the family, significant differences between desire and reality. For example, 83 percent of respondents said they wanted to spend a lot of time with the family, but only 28 percent of respondents actually confirmed they had plenty of time for each other. Comparable deviations were found in the study also in the wishful thinking and the reality of the division of housework. More than two-thirds of respondents described equal sharing of domestic responsibilities as desirable; but only in 31 percent of households will this be implemented. The only consolation: Family and housework is valued more today: In 2005, only 53 percent of women were convinced to receive the deserved recognition from their partner, their share today is 71 percent. The number of respondents who felt that family and household work was not valued enough by society in Germany (from 72 to 64 percent) has also decreased..

New forms of living emerged
According to the latest results of the Allensbach Institute, the noticeably increasing burdens on families have also triggered a rethinking of housing and living together. Today, for example, 76 percent of the respondents are convinced of the positive approaches of multi-generational housing in which the intergenerational households If necessary, around half of the interviewees could imagine living in such a multigenerational house. With regard to childcare, too, families are increasingly open to new approaches in the face of growing burdens.

The so-called parental leave has long been accepted and 72 percent of respondents could imagine taking such a care for their children. But even new forms of childcare, such as loan grandparents or a grandparent's time meet quite open ears. For example, the majority of interviewees consider the grandparents' model, in which older people, as lifelong parents, help young families on a regular or on-demand basis with childcare, is a good approach. However, the grandparents, who were brought up for discussion by the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Kristina Schröder (CDU), in which grandparents work less for the care after the birth of a grandson or interrupt their employment for up to twelve months and receive compensation comparable to the parental allowance, would only be for 40 percent of working grandparents into consideration. However, the readiness to take a grandparent's time, with working grandparents, who are already temporarily looking after their grandchildren, noteworthy: 24 percent would „certainly“, 27 percent „perhaps“ use a grandparent, the result of the current study.

The Vorwerk Family Study was created for the eighth time by the Wuppertal family business Vorwerk in cooperation with the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy. The study orientations are each oriented to different topics, with families in Germany at the center. The company wants to make a contribution to the family policy debate and spark new debates. (Fp)

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Picture: Rolf van Melis