Managing multiple social roles beneficial for women

Managing a career along with being a wife or partner and parent helps women to stay healthy. Researchers from the University College London analysed the health of Britons born in 1946. They found that women who had multiple roles were less likely to report poor health or to be obese in middle age than homemakers, single mothers or childless females. Women who occupied multiple roles over the long term reported relatively good health at age 54. It seems that women are relatively healthy as a result of combining work and family life. The researchers analysed self-reported health records of more than 2,000 women at the ages of 26 and 54 and their body mass index, a method of measuring obesity. Information on their marital status, work history and whether they had children were also included. The researchers found that women who had been homemakers most of their lives were most likely to report poor health, followed by single mothers and childless women. Homemakers tended to gain weight more quickly and had the highest rate of obesity at 38 percent while women who were employees, wives and mothers had the lowest. It has been known that women who combine employment with motherhood and partnership have better health. But it was not clear whether they were working and having children because they were healthy, or whether they were healthy because they were combining the two. The findings suggest that there may be potential long-term health benefits of being able to manage multiple roles in all areas of society.