The pandemic continues to have a disproportionate negative impact on the mental health and careers of Canadian mothers, nearly half of whom are believed to be at breaking point.
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The survey of more than 1,500 Canadians, conducted by Maru/Matchbox on behalf of the Canadian Women’s Foundation in April, found that 48% of mothers in Canada say they are reaching the breaking point, compared to 39% of fathers.
The 2022 survey found that 67% of mothers were concerned about their physical health, up from 55% last year.
More than a third (39%) of mothers say they struggle to meet the demands of work, up from 28% in 2021.
Two in five mothers (37%) have put their careers on hold to manage household and care responsibilities.
Almost half (47)% find trying to balance work and parenting responsibilities exhausting.
The vast majority of mothers (96%) agree that mothers and caregivers have been significantly affected by the pandemic and need more support.
The mental burden and inequalities within couples would also have increased. More mothers than fathers say they had to put their careers on hold to manage family/parenting responsibilities (37% vs. 19%).
Women are more likely than men to manage the schedules and activities of the child(ren) (68% vs. 23%) and to support the education of the child(ren) (58% vs. 23%). %).
More than half of women (57%) make arrangements when schools are closed while less than a quarter of men do (22%).
Overall, mothers are more anxious (41% versus 34%), sad (24% versus 14%) and upset (22% versus 14%) than fathers.
Another study shows that levels of depression and anxiety among mothers almost doubled between 2019 and 2020: 35% of mothers reported symptoms of depression in 2020, compared to 19% during the pre-pandemic period.
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com