Why does motherhood affect health more than fatherhood? A new study reveals how parenting responsibilities influence women’s mental and physical well-being.
Becoming a parent is one of life’s biggest milestones, bringing joy, responsibility, and profound changes. While both mothers and fathers experience the transition to parenthood, new research suggests that the health effects are far from equal (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Gender inequalities in the association between parenthood and health
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A study by researchers at the University of the Basque Country (EHU) has found that motherhood has a significantly greater impact on physical and mental health than fatherhood, with women experiencing changes in well-being, exercise habits, and overall health that men largely do not.
Published in the Journal of Family Studies, the research highlights a clear gender gap in the health effects of parenthood. The findings suggest that while fathers’ health remains relatively stable after having children, mothers face both immediate and long-term challenges that extend beyond pregnancy and childbirth.
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How Does Motherhood Affect Women’s Health?
The study, conducted by the OPIK research group, examined the relationship between parenthood and several health indicators, including psychological well-being, perceived health, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Researchers also explored whether the number and age of children influenced these outcomes.
According to lead researcher Anna Barbuscia, motherhood carries health consequences that go beyond the biological effects of pregnancy and childbirth.
“Having children has greater consequences for the health of the mother, both in the short and long term. This is not only because of the biological changes resulting from pregnancy and birth, but also the psychological consequences. Our findings show a significant gender gap,” Barbuscia said.
The study found that becoming a father had little measurable effect on men’s health. Regardless of whether they had children or the size of their family, fathers showed almost no differences in psychological well-being, perceived health, or health-related behaviors.
Women, however, experienced a very different reality.
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Does the Age of Children Affect Mothers’ Well-Being?
Researchers found that a mother’s health was closely linked to both the number of children she had and their stage of development.
Women with only one child and mothers raising adolescents reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. In contrast, mothers with two or more young children were more likely to rate their overall health positively, despite the physical demands associated with caring for younger children.
The researchers believe these differences reflect the unique challenges of each parenting stage.
Caring for infants and young children often involves interrupted sleep, increased physical activity, and constant supervision. Raising teenagers, meanwhile, has long been recognized as one of the most emotionally demanding phases of parenting because of changing family dynamics, increasing independence, and communication challenges.
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Why Do Mothers Exercise Less Than Fathers?
One of the study’s clearest findings involved physical activity. Researchers confirmed that women generally exercise less frequently than men, but the difference becomes much greater after women become mothers.
Only 16% of mothers with young children reported exercising regularly, compared with 30% of women without children. Among men, however, becoming a father made very little difference to exercise habits, with similar participation levels regardless of parental status.
According to the researchers, this suggests that motherhood significantly reduces the time available for personal care and healthy routines.
Less time for exercise may not only affect physical fitness but also contribute to poorer long-term health, adding to the physical and emotional demands already associated with raising children.
Why Does Motherhood Have a Greater Health Impact Than Fatherhood?
The researchers say the findings cannot be explained by biology alone. Pregnancy and childbirth naturally bring hormonal, physical, and emotional changes, but mothers also continue to carry a larger share of caregiving responsibilities in many households.
These additional responsibilities often leave less time for rest, exercise, social interaction, and self-care, all of which play an important role in maintaining good health. The study suggests that this combination of biological changes and unequal caregiving responsibilities helps explain why motherhood has a greater impact on health than fatherhood.
How Can Shared Parenting Improve Family Health?
The researchers believe the findings should play an important role in shaping future family policies and health care planning.
While many governments and employers have introduced measures to improve work-life balance, Barbuscia argues that these efforts alone are not enough.
She says mothers also need protected time to prioritize their own physical and mental well-being, emphasizing that investing in mothers’ health ultimately benefits the entire family.
The study also found that fathers’ health indicators remained largely unchanged after becoming parents, whereas mothers experienced noticeable differences depending on the number and age of their children.
Women with one child or adolescent children were more likely to report depressive symptoms, while regular physical activity was significantly lower among mothers of young children than among women without children.
Researchers conclude that encouraging a more equal sharing of childcare and household responsibilities between mothers and fathers could help reduce these health inequalities. They argue that building healthier families starts with ensuring that the responsibilities of raising children are shared more evenly, allowing both parents the opportunity to care for their own health as well as their children’s.
Reference:
- Gender inequalities in the association between parenthood and health – (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13229400.2026.2662431)
Source-Medindia