Working Mums Short Changed on Me-Time

1 month ago 14th Nov 12:09

The average Great British mother can expect less that an hour and a half[1][1] each day to themselves according to leading Child Trust Fund provider, The Children’s Mutual[2][2].

The average full-time working mum is even worse off with less than an hour a day[3][3] of ‘me time’ – which is defined as quality time spent awake, without worrying about the stresses and strains of the daily grind! Unsurprisingly, nearly three quarters[4][4] of these women felt that this was insufficient.

Mums with part-time jobs fair slightly better than their full-time colleagues, with an extra 24 minutes a day[5][5]. Those staying at home full time only gain another 20 minutes on top of this – a princely average of one hour and 42 minutes a day.

The majority of mums prefer to spend their ‘me time’ relaxing by reading a magazine or book, closely followed by watching a film – although with less than 90 minutes to dedicate to themselves it is unlikely that they will get to see the end. Younger mums and those in the East Midlands also like to escape from their little ones by enjoying a tranquil soak in the tub.

Welsh mothers feel under the most pressure, with 85 per cent saying that they don’t get enough time to unwind. However it is mums in the South East that are actually the most hard done by with an average of only 58 minutes a day to relax. In contrast mums in the North East and those in the East Midlands enjoy nearly twice a much time for self indulgence with almost two hours[6][6] a day to themselves.

In general dads have a much easier ride – and their ‘me time’ is not impacted by the employment status of their partner. The average dad gets just over an hour and three quarters[7][7] each day to himself although there are regional discrepancies. In the North East, dads can kick back across a whopping two and a half hours[8][8] a day compared to just an hour[9][9] in the South East.

The balance is most evenly distributed in Scotland where both mums and dads get approximately an hour and a half [10][10] each day of down time. The biggest gender gap is found in London where mums get a whole hour less to themselves than dads (one hour 24 minutes versus two hours 28 minutes.)

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