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Stress and The Working Mother
By: Dr. Priscilla Marotta
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 Working outside of the home has generally been found to have positive effects on the mental health of women with children. Over fifty years of research concludes that mothers' working status makes a positive difference in child development. Children of working mothers have a less gender stereotypic view of the world, are able to adjust to change more readily, and assume responsibility within the household which fosters increased self-esteem for children. There are several factors, however, that increase stress loads for working mothers, regardless of marital status.
The working mother still maintains higher workloads at home than her partner, even though her spouse may be taking on more chores at home.
1. Even though spouses take on more chores at home, moms still take on the responsibility for seeing that the work gets done. "Her sense of vigilance and being 'on call' is virtually constant."
2. When encountering a stressful work load, according to a recent survey in Working Mother, 60% of respondents state that they react by either organizing themselves better or working harder. Only 11% report that they ask for help.
3. Women are biologically and culturally programmed to nurture others. To cope with women's new role demands, women need to recognize "power is not a dirty word" and develop "healthy selfish" strategies. Working mothers need to be caring, not consumed.
For women who work, life-coaching can help by providing education about the consequences of stress, assistance in developing healthier coping mechanisms support in challenging undermining belief systems, and training in developing positive power skills.
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