If you have a wedding or a baby is on the horizon, look out: A new study from Kingston University Business School in the U.K. found that people feel less happy at work for up to five years after the birth of a child or getting married — and those negative effects are even stronger for women.
Why the post-milestone career sadness? Researchers who conducted the study of about 10,000 people said having a major family-focused event like this might alert you to the fact that life does not revolve around the office. ScienceDaily reports:
“Quite often how you feel about your job is determined by outside factors. Before the happy life event, people may experience increased job satisfaction because of the ‘spillover’ effect, where happiness at home influences happiness at work,” report author Professor Yannis Georgellis, Director of the Centre for Research in Employment, Skills, and Society at Kingston Business School said. “But afterwards, people’s focus inevitably shifts more towards home life as priorities change and the work-life conflict kicks in. This is particularly true for people when they start a family.”
Georgellis suggests that one thing that might temper this effect is a more generous maternity leave in the U.K. In the U.S., however, we have no paid maternity leave, compared to the U.K.’s 20 weeks and Canada’s 50 weeks. Quite a shame.
Follow Sexcerpts on Twitter!: @Sexcerpts_SK
