對於母親來說,育兒實則更有難度

Guess what, ladies? Parenting is more stressful for moms than for dads. Not exactly groundbreaking news for any woman who has had a baby, but it's nice to have scientific backup.

女士們，猜猜看怎麼著？母親承受的育兒壓力實則要大於父親。對於生過孩子的女性來說，這可不是什麼大新聞，但有了科學支援也是不錯的。

According to a new study from Cornell University, women experience more emotional stress and strain than men while spending time with their kids. This is no doubt because in most households, women are the primary caregivers even when they work full-time. For the majority of moms, time with kids typically means cooking, cleaning, bathing, discipline, calming tantrums and keeping them entertained.

據康奈爾大學的一項新研究顯示，女性在與孩子們相處的時候，比男性更容易感受到情感壓力、緊張。這一點應該是毫無疑問的，因為在大多數家庭中，女性是最主要的照料者，即使她們也有全職工作。對於大多數母親來說，和孩子相處就意味著做飯、打掃、為他們洗澡、管教紀律、讓他們消氣和陪他們玩鬧。

That's not always the case for dads, say researchers who analyzed time use surveys of 12,000 parents with kids under 18. Respondents recorded what they were doing and how happy, sad, stressed, and tired they felt.

研究員們對12,000名家長進行了調查，他們的孩子都不到18歲，研究員們分析了調查，並說道對於父親來說，情況卻不總是這樣。受訪者談論了他們做的如何，以及他們是開心、難過、壓力山大還是疲憊不堪。

Dads often swoop in for the fun parts of parenting rather than basic childcare and chores. That means their quality time with kids is low-stress and generally more enjoyable. The study also found that moms do more solo parenting, have more sleep disruption and less free time than fathers. Is it any surprise that women exhibited lower levels of happiness and more stress when hanging with their kids?

在育兒方面，父親通常都是和孩子一起嬉戲打鬧，基本的照顧孩子和做家務基本與他們無關。這就是說，他們與孩子相處的時間是優質時間，沒什麼壓力，總體來說還是很享受的。研究還發現，相比父親，母親通常都是一個人帶孩子、睡眠也相對不足、自由時間也更少。所以母親在與孩子相處時沒那麼開心，而且很有壓力沒什麼可驚奇的吧？

All that's not to say moms don't enjoy parenting. Both men and women said that time with their kids was very "meaningful." Why else would we continue to grow our broods? But fact of the matter is, being a parent is a bit harder on moms. Who makes sure the diapers and formula are stocked? Who makes dinner? Who plays nurse when someone is sick?

但這並不是說母親不享受帶孩子的過程。父母都認為與孩子相處的那段時光都是很"有意義的"。要不然，我們為什麼要將他養大成人呢？但事實是，母親的難度更大。她們要確保家裡的尿布和嬰兒食品充足、做飯、孩子們生病了還要負責照顧他們。

However, it's important to note that this isn't the case in all families. The number of men acting as primary caregivers is on the rise. According to Pew Research, there are nearly two million stay-at-home dads in the United States. And in more and more homes, two full-time working parents strive to divide household chores more evenly. However, Cornell sociologists note that there are still higher expectations placed on mothers.

然而，並不是所有的家庭都是這樣的，記住這一點也非常重要。越來越多的父親成為家庭的主要照料者。據皮尤研究中心表示，美國目前有近200萬的全職父親。而且在越來越多的家庭中，全職父母都在努力平分家務活兒。然而，康奈爾大學的社會學家指出，仍然有大多數人將家務活寄託在母親身上。

"The solution is that we collectively rethink what we expect of fathers and what we expect of mothers," suggested study co-author Kelly Musick.

"解決方法就是我們一起重新思考父親應該做什麼，母親應該做什麼，"該研究的合著作者凱莉·穆斯克（Kelly Musick）建議道。