According to a new study commissioned by Welch’s, if you add up the time moms spend at their paid jobs and keeping their family lives running smoothly, the average mom puts in an astounding 98 hours of work a week.
The study, which looked at 2,000 mothers with school-aged kids in the United States, found that the average mom generally kickstarts her day at 6:23 a.m. and doesn’t wrap up work or family duties until 8:31 p.m. That comes to a whopping 14 hours of work a day.
It’s no wonder 4 in 10 moms said they felt overwhelmed.
Past studies have shown that moms still bear the brunt of household chores and childcare—and that holds true even for the moms who are the main breadwinners in their families. They also frequently take on the “mental load” of running their families, like noticing when supplies run out, signing the kids up for summer camp and remembering when bills need to be paid—the unseen labor that really adds to stress and exhaustion. Essentially, women are working the hourly equivalent of more than two full-time jobs.
Casey Lewis, the Health & Nutrition Lead at Welch’s, told Yahoo! News, “The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mom can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of.”
Fortunately, moms have a few key items and people that help them out, according to Welch’s survey. Asked what made their life with 5- to 7-year-olds a little easier, moms ranked wet wipes, children’s TV shows and apps, tablets, drive-thru meals and Netflix at the top of the list.