In France, 2 out of 10 families are single parents, a proportion that has doubled in the space of 40 years. And in 85% of cases, it is a “solo mom“who manages the day-to-day!
A team of researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam (Netherlands) wanted to know if mothers who raised their children alone while working had more health problems than others …
To find out, scientists worked with 11,000 women in Europe and 6,000 women in the United States, born between 1935 and 1956. First observation: 11% of American volunteers were “solo mothers” against 5% of European volunteers. The phenomenon of single parenthood therefore seems more widespread across the Atlantic … On the other hand, in Europe as in the United States, around 10% of women worked while being single and without children.
The risk of having a heart attack increases by 74%
The participants had to answer various questionnaires, concerning their state of health, their marital status and their professional status. Verdict: Compared to married moms who work, “solo moms” who work have a 40% increased risk of suffering from heart troubles, 74% more risk of having a infarction, and 77% more risk of smoking … Worrisome figures!
“The wedding provides some financial and social stability, the researchers say. For some women, single parenthood is stressful and anxious, which can lead to heart problems and to adopting behaviors that are harmful to health (smoking, alcohol, unbalanced diet …). “
Interesting but questionable figures: in fact, the scientists did not ask the volunteers how many children they were responsible for, how many hours of work they did each week, or even what type of work they did. These essential parameters call into question the results of the study. To be taken with a grain of salt, so …
This work has been published in the specialist journal American Journal of Public Health.
