Working mums regularly put in a 28-hour week looking after the kids – on top of their full-time job, it has been revealed. Researchers found caring for the children and managing their home, as well as holding down a paid job, ensure mums are on the go for just over 13 hours every weekday.
Cooking and preparing food, running errands for the family and taking care of pets are daily tasks carried out amid days which begin at 6.45am up until they start work, and then after work until 7.52pm when the kids go to bed.
The study also found three quarters of mums rarely get a chance to sit down and eat breakfast or dinner at home because of their hectic schedule.
The horrendous workload means that, including a 37-and-a-half hour a week full-time job, millions of mums are putting in an exhausting 66-hours.
But the good news is most mums do get a bit of a break at weekends when dad is home to do his share of the housework and help out with the children.
A spokesman for natural cold remedy Kaloba, which commissioned the study, said:
”Mums have to work so hard to keep everyone in the family happy, but it’s amazing to see exactly how many hours they have to put in.
”There are so many different tasks to carry out on a daily or weekly basis, and a huge percentage are doing this on top of a paid job of some form.
”It makes you wonder where families would be without a mom doing what they do.
”But this makes it even more important that mums are healthy and not too run down to avoid picking up colds from their children and friends.
”Mums need to try and take time out in their day to sit down and relax, even for just a few minutes, to give themselves a break and avoid making themselves ill.”
The study of 2,000 mums found in an average week, more than eight-and-a-half hours is spent entertaining the children, while almost five hours is taken up with cooking and preparing food.
Three hours and 38 minutes is spent on the chores and cleaning the home, with more than two hours spent buying food and groceries each week.
Washing-up or loading the dishwasher accounts for almost two hours per week, while just over one hour and 30 minutes is spent running errands for everyone in the family.
One hour and 27 minutes is taken up with making the beds or tidying bedrooms, another hour and 25 minutes on helping the children with their homework and an hour and 21 minutes ferrying children to school or evening clubs.
An hour and 22 minutes is then spent looking after family pets or walking the dog.
On top of this, 40% of busy mums hold down a full-time job, adding another 37 hours and 30 minutes to the time they spend on the go each day.
In fact, almost nine in ten mums are so busy they often have days when they are doing something from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep.
A massive 92% reckon being a mom is a full-time job in itself.
Researchers also found that 63% of mums worry about being so busy that it might be affecting their immune system.
More than three quarters also worry that they are more run down due to their hectic lifestyles and more prone to colds and bugs.
And 79% are often picking up colds and bugs from their children or their friends.
Three quarters of mums even said they dread their children getting colds because they know they will more than likely end up with it too.
A spokesman for Kaloba added:
”Whilst adults catch a cold two to four times a year, children catch as many as eight.
”Children under the age of 12 are amongst the most susceptible group to colds and flu, so it is important that parents are kept up to date on the best and most researched remedies, as their children are likely to suffer multiple infections in a year.”
BREAKDOWN OF TIME (WEEKLY)
Making beds and tidying bedrooms1 hour 28 minutes
Washing up/loading the dishwasher1 hour 57 minutes
Cooking/preparing food4 hours 48 minutes
Ferrying kids to school/clubs1 hour 21 minutes
Household chores3 hours 38 minutes
Helping kids with homework1 hour 25 minutes
Running family errands/paying bills1 hour 31 minutes
Food/grocery shopping2 hours 3 minutes
Walking the dog or looking after pets1 hour 22 minutes
Getting children ready/entertaining them8 hours 36 minutes
Full time job37 hours 30 minutes
TOTAL65 hours 40 minutes
© Ersler | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
