Moms bear the brunt of spring break chaos, psychologist says

B.C. schools have been shut down for spring break, and formany moms, the struggle is real.

Balancing work and caring for your kids while they're away from the classroom is no easy task. And, according to workplace psychologist Jennifer Newman, mothers often bear the brunt of the work.

She joined host Rick Cluff on CBC's The Early Edition to discuss why women are adversely affected by the spring break workload and what their partners and employers can do to help.

Rick Cluff: Why are women especially affected by the chaos Spring Break creates on the home front?

Jennifer Newman: Research indicates mothers spend more time parenting than fathers. This, plus women's time spent doing housework and working for pay adds up. It requires a delicate balance to pull off.

Throw a two-week change of routine into the mix...andwomen's stress levels and workloads can spike.

Of course, both moms and dads are affected.

What do women face during spring break?

One of the huge tasks women take on when they become mothers is managing and organizing the household. They become the hub.

They sign the permission slips, plan the birthdays, keep track of homework and after school care, they plan menusand shop for groceries.

And, spring break can mean re-jigging the system or having to overhaul it completely.

Organizing and managing a family is also constant mental work. The ongoing responsibility of remembering and reminding family members takes mental stamina.

As well, mothers tend to multi-task more than fathers do. According to researchers, Dad's tend to focus on one thing at a time when they parent.

So, multitasking, organizing and managing the household and working for pay leads to more stress and women putting in long hours, which gets exacerbated by spring break.

What effect does this have on women's health?

Women's schedules and responsibilities inside the home and at work contribute to long hours. When you combine work hours with those at home, women may find themselves pulling 12-14 hour days with no real breaks.

We know routinely working more than 60 hours a week contributes to chronic health issues, like cancer, heart disease and arthritis later in life.

What seems to be behind mother's being overworked and suffering long term health effects?

The irony is dads have been increasing the time they spend with their children steadily since the 60's. So, saying fathersneed to step-up is simplistic.

They already are to a greater and greater extent.

Research also shows women have been increasing the number of hours they put into the mothering role too. Yet, there seems to be ever-increasing pressures on mothers to meet unrealistic standards.

What can be done about this, won't the same set of circumstances present themselves this time next year?

Women can re-examine how much they are willing to measure their worth as mothers and as workers based on extreme societal trends.

Taking back control is important especially since we know the long-term health effects of women trying to measure-up are dire.

Organizations can help tooby sponsoring child-care activities for employee's children during spring break. Or, when the job allows, creating project-based, work schedules that allow work from home.

This interview has been edited and condensed

With files from CBC's The Early Edition. Click here to listen to the full interview