London - Grown-up children who can’t afford to fly the nest may well be adding to the stress of their middle-aged parents.
But there is still a great deal of joy to be found in raising a family – with stay-at-home mothers among the happiest people in the UK.
Research by the Office for National Statistics found those who looked after family instead of working – a group dominated by women – were more likely to describe their lives as “worthwhile” than the employed.
Stay-at-home parents and carers gave an average score of 8.03 out of ten when asked if they felt what they did was worthwhile, compared to 7.85 for workers, 7.92 for retired people and 7.73 for students.
They were also happier than employed people, scoring 7.46 compared with 7.43.
Marie Peacock, chair of campaign group Mothers at Home Matter, told the Mail: “We are not surprised by the research which shows that people are enjoying being at home with their family.
“There is an enormous amount of pleasure to be gained from raising a family, and it would be wonderful if politicians would recognise in their policies that there is a yearning for people to spend time with their children.”
The survey also found married people to be happier than cohabiting couples.
Those who were married or in civil partnerships scored 7.66 out of ten, while partners living together rated themselves as 7.37. Single people lagged behind with a score of 7.14, while divorcees were least cheerful at 6.9.
The findings echo an Open University study earlier this year, which concluded that although married people have greater doubts than unmarried couples about the quality of their relationship, they are more content. - Daily Mail