A research hosted by Barna Group Study revealed that American moms with children are more likely to be satisfied and happy with their lives than women with no children. The results are interesting for many moms are believed to be stressed and commit a great amount of time and energy to their family and children.
The survey was carried out by Barna on women with and without children. The questions the participants were asked to answer revolved around the over-arching question of how these women feel about their lives and how they tend to balance their work, family, and faith. Kate Harris (Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture) had this to say:
"Often, women will talk about having it all or not having it all … But part of the challenge is figuring out not that we need to be consumers in our lives – getting a bunch of stuff so then we can have it – but instead asking the question of belonging. What are the things God is asking me to give myself to and to belong to? … The Lord wants our stewardship to be radical and full but He doesn't want it to be frenetic, He doesn't want it to be the end of us,"
The research revealed that around 58 percent of the mothers who were interviewed expressed satisfaction in their lives whereas around 50 percent of overall women said the same.
Although less than 20 percent of the participating mothers reported that they are extremely satisfied, the main issue of the research lies in where the dissatisfaction from either home or the workplace comes from: 80 percent of all participants pointed to stress from the pressure put on women both at work and in the family.
However, the survey also revealed how women with children tended to consider family as their first priority, and that many of them also expressed that the best way to improve their quality of life was through the church.
