Working parents essentially do it all. In the morning, they wake up before their children to prepare breakfast and lunch before dropping them off at school and then driving into the office. After the workday, the evening demands picking up the kids from school, cooking dinner, and, sometimes, or on some days, driving the children to extracurriculars. On evenings and weekends that are spared from the usual, parents must usually be doing errands and chores.
Working or not working, it’s no wonder that most parents of school-aged children are exhausted. Moreover, much of our days are spent in transportation to simply get somewhere. For many, the toll of commuting was a non-negotiable burden until the pandemic called for measures to social distance. Institutions and businesses closed in an effort to keep people safe and healthy—not without an upheaval of confusion and turmoil.
In the midst of the pandemic, 4% of American workers became self-employed, with twice as many women as men becoming self-employed in a total of approximately six hundred thousand people. Parents of young children are more likely to be among the self-employed, especially those who live in areas that are deemed “childcare deserts”. The Center of American Progress deems areas as childcare deserts when the number of children there triples that of the number of children daycares can supervise.
However, even if supply could meet demand, the expense of childcare may still be a barrier to working parents. For many, working from home through employment, self-employment, or freelancing are the only options for parents who cannot access childcare and must also work.
Raising children is both financially and emotionally taxing. Research has shown that married couples experience a decrease in relationship satisfaction following having children. While the average relationship declines in satisfaction some years after marriage, the decline in satisfaction for married couples with children is double that of married couples without children. Relationship dissatisfaction has been linked with mental and physical health challenges.
Many married people with children feel that there is no way out given the economic challenges of raising children and the potential psychological impact divorce may have on a child’s development. However, societal shifts have made it more than previously acceptable to divorce and co-parent. Many couples even view their divorce as a part of the beginning of a chapter of co-parenting and starting blended families, rather than as their initial family being broken apart. In an effort to maintain cordiality and harmony throughout the separation, many couples are now choosing divorce mediation instead of divorce litigation. Mediation involves a certified expert who facilitates the negotiation of divorce terms between the two parties without lawyers or the court. It is typically less consuming of time and money than traditional divorce. Couples are less likely to be enraged at each other throughout the process.
The dynamic between parenthood and work will only continue to evolve. And for that, research and expertise are important to help guide those in the midst of monumental life changes. If you would like to learn about divorce mediation, you can give McNamee Mediations a call today
McNamee Mediations
4590 MacArthur Blvd Suite 500, Newport Beach, CA 92660
