Shocking news just released by researchers at the University of No Duh: Women often give up sleep to care for others!
In a huge study of more than 20,000 people, women were more likely (two and a half times more likely!) than men to get out of bed to take care of a family member - and the trend persisted even when the woman is the sole breadwinner for the family (28 percent of those women)! Only about 4 percent of sole-breadwinner men do the night-time care thing.
The researchers suggest couples take a hard look at this situation and work to make it more equitable to women. To which I say: Good luck with that! I think it's the rare mom that can stay in bed when a child is up sick, job or no job. Bedside care of a babe is more than just a mama-compulsion, it's a privilege of sorts. Can't imagine rolling over and saying, "you deal with it!"
