Are you on vacation? On the other hand, did you have to get up early on this drizzly Monday morning? Then your cup of black gold probably tasted all the more. And if you’re wondering why you’re fighting that annoying alarm clock every morning: women who go to work seem to live longer and be less at risk of depression.
For example, a new study that has just appeared in Demography magazine shows that women who work in their thirties and forties grow older physically and mentally healthier than women who don’t go to work to stay at home for their children.
The study, led by research scientist Jennifer Caputo, analyzed the data of 5,100 women. The investigation started when the women were between 30 and 44 years old and ended when they reached the age of 66 to 80 years.
The data showed that women who had a job for the first 20 years of the study suffered less from depression when they reached retirement age. Besides, they reduced their risk of dying by 25% compared to women who did not go to work for pay.
“Having a job is one of the most important social determinants of the health of both women and men,” Caputo says. The reason? “Employment can provide both financial and social resources that promote stability and well-being,” says the researcher.
The study also found that women who had negative experiences at work (e.g., because they did not get satisfaction from their job or were victims of discrimination) were later more likely to suffer from depression and poorer health, but were still healthier than women who did not go to work at all.
Although this is a large study, other studies have already shown the benefits of mothers staying at home for their children. For example, children of stay-at-home mothers are less likely to have behavioral and psychological problems. So choose what feels best for you.
