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Mums need more sleep than dads because they work harder

The reason mums deserve a lie in and breakfast in bed on a Sunday has been revealed, and dads better buck their ideas up

We've been saying it for years but now researchers have confirmed what many parents have suspected for years - mums really do work harder than dads.

So not only is being a parent the hardest job in the world, but mums put even more into it than their male counterparts - and need around 20 minutes extra kip a night to make up for the energy they use.



But it's not just the parenting itself that knackers us out. Mums admitted that they feel more wiped out in all areas of life - paid work, leisure and housework as well as child care.

[Average mum spends a staggering 57 hours a WEEK on household tasks]

The American Time Use Survey investigated how parents split their time and how rewarding and tiring they found the activities and found that despite dads being more use around the house than 50 years ago, outdated gender roles are still going strong.


[Mums admit their biggest cringe moments]

[Career mums: Can we really have it all?]


In general women spend more of their time on housework and childcare than men, while men spend significantly more hours in paid work. And of the time spent with their children, mums and dads took on different parts of the childcare responsibilities.

Mums were more likely to get on with the changing, bathing, feeding and dressing of their children, as well as educational and organisational needs - such as helping with homework and planning trips and future activities.

Dads were more likely to get involved in playtime and in housework such as maintenance and repair, as opposed to cooking and cleaning.



Experts commenting on the findings have suggested that the reason mums feel more tired than dads is because of multi-tasking, taking on the bulk of childcare and housework and because they feel these things  are more meaningful than dads - so put more energy in.

So it seems that true to the old cliche, mums are trying to do everything and not drop the ball. But we're suffering as a result. We feel far more tired than men in all areas of life but still won't give ourselves a break because there are meals to make, after-school activities to plan and carpets to be vacuumed.

But perhaps instead of wearing our to-do lists and exhaustion like badges of honour, it's time to reset the alarm clock and give ourselves a rest.

Do you work harder than your partner? Vote in the poll below.