{"id":262791,"date":"2022-05-06T15:26:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T19:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/?p=262791"},"modified":"2025-06-11T10:26:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:26:18","slug":"the-mother-load","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/blog\/the-mother-load\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mother Load: Here\u2019s how to help new parents avoid burnout at work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Becoming a parent changes everything, especially for working moms. Of the 44 million mothers in the US, more than 75% work full-time1<\/sup> \u2014 and many of them also do the majority of the housework and childcare. In fact, women in the US spend an average of two hours more each day on housework and childcare than men.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s just the day-to-day tasks. Women are also eight times more likely to stay home when a child is sick, and they\u2019re the ones who most often manage complicated schedules of activities and appointments.3<\/sup> This double-duty of work and parenting \u2014 the Mother Load \u2014 can lead to burnout, parental guilt<\/a> and mental and physical health issues, even for people who\u2019ve never experienced them before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for employers to help ease the burden on working mothers, especially when they\u2019re transitioning back to work as new parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How heavy is the Mother Load?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In May, we celebrate Mother\u2019s Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, so it\u2019s the perfect moment to pause and consider how much we\u2019re asking working mothers to carry, and the toll it takes on their wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with burnout at work. The pandemic has been a struggle for all of us, and reports of burnout at work are higher than ever. Nearly 60 percent of millennials (those in their childbearing years), reported symptoms of burnout in the last year.4<\/sup> But it\u2019s not just that burnout is skyrocketing \u2014 in a study across all ages, researchers found that the gender gap for burnout has nearly doubled. In 2021, 42% of women reported burnout compared to 32% in 2020. For men, 35% experienced burnout in 2021, compared with 28% in 2020.5<\/sup> Burnout is a problem everywhere, but women are being hit the hardest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This aligns with the changes we\u2019ve seen in the workforce since the start of the pandemic. During the Great Reassessment, women faced impossible childcare situations and work policies that made it too hard to balance career and family. In the last two years, 3.5 million women decided their best option was to leave the workforce.6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even without a pandemic, the Mother Load can be overwhelming. The challenges start early \u2014 postpartum depression (PPD), is one of the most common mental health conditions for new parents (though it\u2019s significantly more common among women, men can experience PPD, too). The reported rate of PPD in the US is about 13.2%,7<\/sup> but many women are never screened. Ovia\u2019s research \u2014 including 13 million mental health screeners we\u2019ve delivered to our community \u2014 suggests that the true rate is closer to 30%. During the pandemic rates of distress rose higher<\/a>, especially for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) mothers, first-time mothers, and mothers between 35-39.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an employer, the Mother Load matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All companies want to attract and retain the best employees \u2014 and we all know that losing talent is disruptive and costly. So, if you are considering how to update your policies and benefits, easing the Mother Load for new parents is one of the most impactful things you can do. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n