Mom could use some cheering up this Mother's Day: Half of the mothers in a new survey think they are doing a worse job than their own mothers did.
While they overwhelmingly believe that raising children these days is harder than it was a generation ago, most mothers said they were mostly or very satisfied with the job they are doing raising their children.According to a study released Thursday, 56 percent of women surveyed think their mothers were better parents than they are.
The study by the Pew Research Center questioned 1,101 women, 74 percent of them mothers. Of the total sample, 42 percent were employed full time, 15 percent part time, 21 percent retired and 22 percent not employed outside the home. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The researchers found that the problems and challenges that today's mothers face are related to changes in the lives of women and the evolution of the American family.
According to the survey, a large proportion of the women favored more traditional family settings.
Just 17 percent said most divorced couples who split custody of their children can do a good job of parenting. Less than 30 percent said most single mothers, stepmothers and couples in which both parents work full time can do a good job.
The study also found that more than half of the mothers who worked full time were burdened with time pressures and trying to balance motherhood with other aspects of their lives.
But the survey found that disciplining children is a problem all mothers face whether or not they work outside the house. One in five cited this as the most difficult part of being a mother.