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Invisible mothers: the shocking data that shows how women feel

Invisible mothers: the shocking data that shows how women feel

There is more and more talk about the feeling of loneliness felt by mothers, who even today, very often, are exclusively entrusted with the care of their children, without proper support from partners, family members and society. Mothers are expected to be able to handle everything, but they are not given adequate support. And these are the very themes that underlie the 'Invisible Mothers - State of Invisibility' campaign by the Peanut app, a community that helps its users cope with the struggles of motherhood and which recently investigated their own state of mind.

According to data collected by the survey, based on over 3,600 mothers around the world who use the app, 79% of them feel invisible, 95% feel unappreciated and 94% say that, after giving birth, motherhood is the only aspect of their identity of them that is perceived by others. Additionally, 99% said they felt social pressure to "do it all," while 96% said they felt others expected them to sacrifice.

Feelings which, as stated by the participants themselves, stem from a lack of sensitivity on the part of loved ones around them, an unequal division of household chores and the difficulty of taking care of their children and at the same time continuing to work.

Stay-at-home moms don't fare well: they experience more occupational burnout than working moms.

The most common feelings reported are anxiety, stress, feeling of loneliness and loss of identity, depression.

"I have to be a mother as if I don't have a job and work as if I don't have children. I'm constantly struggling with the feeling that 'I'm not doing enough,'” says one of the mothers.

They don't require grand gestures. A 'how are you' is enough. You just have to really want to hear the answer.

Basically, in practice this is the butterfly effect: small changes or actions, such as empathetic conversations, can have a big impact. By recognizing and addressing these issues, we can begin to rebuild the social infrastructure to truly support motherhood.