A popular survey has confirmed your suspicions — being a mother is basically the equivalent of working two full-time jobs.
To say being a mom is hard work would be an understatement. But now, thanks to Welch's — yes, the same juice company that's made it impossible to get your favorite white blouse clean — moms have a little bit of pull in the oh-so-underwhelming world that is #momlife. According to a study conducted by Welch's, the average working mom clocks in a 98-hour work week, with most of her days beginning at 6:23 a.m. and finishing around 8:31 p.m — basically a 14-hour shift. So the next time Bob from accounting tells you, in that matter-of-a-fact way that grinds your nerves, "You look awfully tired. Maybe you should get more sleep," you can fax a copy of this study to his desk. The study, comprised of 2,000 American women with children between the ages of 5 and 12 and intended to find the most useful resources, tools, and techniques moms use to keep their family's lives going in the right direction -- dove head-first into what it's really like to be a mom — statistics included.
What's even sadder than a 98-hour work week? When it comes to "me time," the average mom only gets about an hour and seven minutes to herself each day. If she's lucky, that is.
“The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mom can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of,” Casey Lewis, MS, RD and health and nutrition lead at Welch's told Yahoo!. “Busy moms may identify with the list of ‘lifesavers,’ which highlights not just a rigorous workload but a constant requirement to feed and fuel the family, week in and week out.”
Unsurprisingly, loads of coffee, napping whenever possible, and using a stern voice when needed rounded out the top 20 list of "lifesavers" moms can't go without. Other life-saving items and activities included babysitters or family help, wine, Netflix, wet wipes, iPads, drive-through meals, and healthy snacks.
Hopefully, even before reading this study, but certainly after, husbands and children everywhere will take moms' 98-hour week into consideration and think before leaving their unwashed dishes piled in the sink.
What do you think? Does a 98-hour week sound accurate? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
