The Fair Play Policy Institute just came out with their annual study, the 2024 State of Parenting Report.
And while the statistics were not surprising to our team of family assistants here at Sherah, they are alarming regarding the neverending mental and physical labor at home, the decreasing mental health, and the seemingly impossible challenge of work/life balance on parents today.
Here are the most alarming stats that blew our team of personal assistant moms away:
- 15% of parents felt happy (ONLY 15%!)
- 45% feel the division of labor in the home is unfair
- 60% of moms feel overwhelmed by daily tasks
- 64% said the mental load is equal to the physical load in time required
- 65% of couples argue over household responsibilities (you're not alone!)
And here's the real kicker...
- Regardless of a mother's work situation, the majority of household responsibilities consistently sit with the mom.
The Mental Load is a Real Contributor to Parent Burnout
The mental load refers to the invisible, ongoing tasks that often fall on parents - especially moms. It’s not just about remembering to buy groceries or scheduling doctor’s appointments; it’s the constant juggling act of anticipating needs, planning, and making decisions for the entire family. It's also the emotional load of worrying if others will be pleased with your decisions and hard work on their behalf.
For many parents, this mental load is a significant source of stress, leading to burnout and making it difficult to enjoy life. Even more than the physical load of doing the daily tasks of keeping a household running, the mental and emotional load can do even greater harm.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone - Preventing Parent Burnout
At Sherah, we understand the challenges parents face because all of our family assistants and personal assistants are parents too. We know that balancing work, family, and personal time can seem impossible. That’s why I quit my job in 2022 and created a personal assistant service specifically designed to help parents manage their family’s to-do list, so you can focus on what truly matters.
I knew I was at the end of my rope as a working mom, and while I tried other virtual assistant companies out there, no one understood the breadth of a mom's to-do list. And by the time I had to explain the details to someone who was not a parent and didn't get it, I felt like I might as well have just done it myself. So I quit my job to create the solution I couldn't find.
Top 5 Areas Where Families Need Help
The top five areas that create the most stress according to the report are clutter, lack of routines, scheduling conflicts, finances and miscommunication.
I can also report that these are repeatedly the hot topics that come up in our onboarding calls with new Sherah members when we get to know them and dig into their family's pain points. That's why our to-do list at Sherah is as varied as cleaning out kids' closets, adding a soccer schedule to the family calendar, creating a daily chore chart, and pairing the parents up with the perfect certified financial planner to help them get things in order.
When I started Sherah, I was looking for a solution to burnout as a working mom because I love working and didn't want to give up on my own career but I knew something had to change. Our goal is to lighten the load on parents so that they can focus on what truly matters—whether that's advancing in their careers, spending quality time with their families, or simply finding a moment to breathe by themselves.
Reclaim Your Time
Parenthood shouldn’t be a constant struggle. Marriage shouldn't be either. As a parent or co-parent, I encourage you to take an honest look at your division of labor at home. Where you can, outsource and delegate. Where you can't, make hard decisions on what has to give or what has to be reallocated.
Parents are NOT okay today...especially the moms. The good news is that you're not alone, it's becoming increasingly okay to speak up and say you need more participation by your partner to help, and there are increasing resources like Sherah out there to support you and your family.
We're here to help and would be honored to support you and your family. As we like to say at Sherah, get ready to rise up instead of feeling like you're about to give up. We've got you.
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