INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — According to the U.S. surgeon general, mothers and fathers work more hours today than in 1985 but also spend more hours on weekly primary child care due to rising costs: Mothers spent an average 20.9 hours a week working in 1985, compared with 26.7 hours in 2022, while fathers went from 39.8 to 41.2 hours a week.

Demands from both work and child caregiving have come at the cost of quality time with one’s partner, sleep, and parental leisure time.

According to 2023 data:

• 33% of parents report high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
• 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% among other adults.

Stressors include:

• The pandemic of loneliness.
• Youth mental health crisis.
• Comparison culture heightened by social media.
• Family or community violence.
• Poverty.
• Racism and discrimination.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s advisory calls for a national paid family and medical leave program, paid sick time for all workers, child-care subsidies and universal preschool. Employers can support parents’ well-being, by offering paid leave, flexible work schedules, management training on stress management and access to affordable high-quality mental health care. Policymakers can promote reentry programming to support formerly incarcerated parents and caregivers.

The surgeon general says parents should know that a lack of self-care affects how you care for your children. Murthy says that the health of parents directly impacts society as well. Parents’ untreated mental health conditions or substance use can increase a child’s risk of physical child abuse, difficulties in school, depression, anxiety and other chronic medical conditions. Parents should form connections with other parents and caregivers, look into local support groups and seek professional mental health care as needed.