The average mum gets just 17 minutes ‘me time’ to herself a day, new research has shown. Jam-packed schedules, running around after the kids, managing work and doing the lion’s share of the housework means the average mum gets less than an hour and a half all to herself each week.
The study into British mums’ ‘me time’ found those rare moments of peace are usually spent catching up on the latest soaps, watching TV in bed, reading or enjoying a well-earned cup of tea.
The hectic life of mum emerged in a study commissioned by TVbed.com, and found 51% of frazzled mums regularly go whole weeks without even a single minute relaxing on their own.
While nearly three quarters of the 2,000 mums studied felt they lived their lives entirely for other people.
Sean McCarroll, managing director for TVBed.com said:
"The results show just how hard the country’s mums work and the extent to which families rely on them.
"But having just over 15 minutes to themselves each day isn't enough and partners and other family members need to appreciate the lengths she goes to for the family and try to see she gets more.
"Women clearly view their bedroom as the one place they can get true relaxation and a bit of time to themselves and whether that’s unwinding while watching the television in bed, catching up on soaps or time spent reading or dozing, it’s important that a woman’s bedroom is kept as her sanctuary."
The study also found nearly two thirds feel the chores aren't shared equally between themselves and their partners and that the current arrangement is unfair.
When quizzed on their domestic workloads, it emerged that mums take on 78% of the home chores.
And more than half of frazzled mums studied said they don’t have time to have their own hobbies or interests.
When that rare free time does come along, women were most likely to describe their bedroom as their biggest sanctuary and the place they relax the most.
In fact, half of the 2,000 mums said the only place they can relax in a typical week is in their bedroom.
And over half (55%) said one of the biggest highlights of their week was the chance to catch their favourite soaps and television programmes undisturbed.
While seven in ten women say their partner gets a lot more free time than them over the course of a normal week.
A begrudging one in five women resent the fact that their partner has more time to relax in their routine and that they’re more easily able to switch off after working.
No wonder then that three quarters of mums said, even in their quiet moments to themselves, they could never fully relax if they knew there were jobs outstanding.
In fact, even in rest mums are still working - 42% said that the very often they’ll spend some of their rare free time planning for the next day.
Sean McCarroll managing director of TVBed.com added:
"Mum’s are working so hard and are very much the driving force behind many families but the results show just how hard they find it to completely switch off.
"Many live so much for the rest of the family that it can be hard to remember themselves. Even if it’s just a matter of catching their favourite programme each week or taking half an hour out to relax in their bedroom, it’s important mum remembers to get that ‘me time’ each day to recharge.
"Our TV beds allow women to create an ultimate sanctuary in the bedroom, with the television being out on display when they wish to watch it, but easily put away using the whisper-quiet motorised TV lift system when it is not in use. It allows bedrooms to move away from rooms where traditionally televisions have been placed on the corner of dressing tables or chest of drawers and set top boxes and DVD players can be discretely stored in the wood sprung base recess of the bed. We like to make sure that the bedroom remains a woman’s sanctuary."
MUM’S TOP 20 WAYS TO SPEND ‘ME TIME’
1. Read a book
2. Cup of tea
3. Watch soaps
4. Have a doze
5. Browse Facebook/Twitter
6. Online shopping
7. Candlelit bath
8. Watch TV relaxing in bed
9. Watch a film
10. Clean the house / clear out cupboards / rearrange furniture
11. Drink wine
12. Eat chocolate
13. Go for a walk/run
14. Go shopping
15. Write a list
16. Listen to music or the radio in peace
17. Go out with friends
18. Read the paper / newspapers
19. Play computer games/apps
20. Paint nails
