According to a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General titled, Parents Under Pressure,” parents and caregivers are working more – and spending more time caring for their children – than ever before. Care for children has increased 40% among mothers and 154% among fathers since 1985. At the same time, work hours have increased 28% for mothers and 4% for fathers. 

Trying to balance it all has taken a toll on mental health, well-being, and workplace productivity. Furthermore, caregiver stress negatively impacts child health and success: 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming, and 41% say that most days they are so stressed they cannot function.

Here are more findings from the report: 

Stressor types

Across all ages and stages, parents tend to experience stress about:

• Financial strain and economic instability: While the need for family supports has grown, the last decade has seen child care prices rise by approximately 26% in the U.S. Sixty-six percent of parents report feeling consumed by money worries. At the same time, caregivers face balancing work/life time demands, child health and safety concerns, cultural pressures, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

• Child health needs: With one in five children having a special health care need, one in four parents struggle to cover their health families’ health care needs, and three in four parents worry their child will experience anxiety or depression.

• Expectations around childhood achievement: Societal pressures to meet expected success standards contributes to parental stress. Modern practices of time-intensive parenting and expectations to do more for their children, leads to more parental stress. 

• Their mental health: a burden that is disproportionately distributed – Caregivers with fewer resources and those who experience economic, social, political, and cultural marginalization are more likely to face increased risk of mental health challenges.

The impacts on caregivers

• Navigating parenting demands and child needs impacts caregivers’ working memory, attention, and psychological well-being. Without access to child care services, employees have no safety net or way to offload planned – or unplanned – child care demands.

• "Sandwiched" caregivers balancing care for adults and children report more significant financial and emotional difficulties than caregivers who are not sandwiched.  

• 65% of parents and guardians, and 77% of single parents in particular, experienced loneliness, compared to 55% of non-parents.

• Nearly 70% of parents say parenting is more difficult now than it was 20 years ago, with children’s use of technology and social media as the top two cited reasons.

What employers can do

• Expand policies and programs that support the physical and mental well-being of parents and caregivers in the workplace. These can include offering paid parental, medical, and sick leave, flexible and fair work schedules, access to child care (in the community or on-site) including coverage for when school-age children during vacations or unplanned breaks, coaching to help students pursuing post-high school education.

• Provide access to comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care. Train managers to recognize signs of stress in employees and to refer employees to appropriate services.

• Foster open dialogue about the challenges parents face. Creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to come together, share experiences and ideas, and support each other to strengthen parental/caregiver well-being. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are one way to facilitate this, providing a platform for parents to connect and support each other. Child care centers have also been shown to foster community and create relationships between parents who would not have otherwise crossed paths.

• Support policies that invest in the health, education, and safety of children, including community involvement through friendship, practical assistance, and emotional support. They’re vital to the well-being of parents and caregivers and beneficial for children as well.

• Most important: Value and respect time spent on parenting on par with time spent working at a paying job, recognizing the critical importance to society of raising children.

Support for families is important for everyone. Raising healthy, educated, and fulfilled children is at the heart of building a strong future for us all.

Ensuring your employees have access to high-quality, affordable child care can help alleviate their stress and support their overall wellbeing. Discover the other key elements of an effective family care benefits program here.