Sarah Jessica Parker stars in I Don't Know How She Does It
Sarah Jessica Parker stars in the recently released 'I don't know how she does it', as a working mum who is trying to do it all.
According to top psychotherapist, Marni Eisenberg the film aptly illustrates the fact that the 'myth' of the supermum can lead to depression.
She said the new film, which tells the trials and tribulations of Kate Reddy as she balances a high-powered job with her role as wife and mother, re-inforces the findings of a survey from the University of Washington, which found that depression is common in stay-at-home mums, and prevalent in working mums who expect to successfully juggle it all.
"Every mother knows there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done, and that is without adding a career. Since when did women stop viewing motherhood as a full-time, extremly challenging job in its own right?" asks Marni.
"The message that mums should be able to balance work and family life - and be successful in both roles - is dangerous," she continues. "More and more women brand themselves failures for not achieving this label, which is incredibly value-laden.
"Depression isn't about how many roles we have. It is linked to what we expect of ourselves."
The survey, by Katrina Leupp, analysed the responses of 1,600 young women to an American government survey.
Marni, who has three children aged five-to-11, knows all too well the challenges and frustrations of being a mother. She says: "The most testing part of motherhood these days must surely be the pressure of expectation from society - the anticipation that one cannot possibly contemplate that a mother's role is fulfilling enough in its own right.
"It is exasperating that society no longer values a 'supermum' for being just that. A super mother who is dedicated to being there for her child full time. For the mothers that dedicate their time to the PTA, local charitable organisations, manage the household accounts, attend school outings …if they are not supermums too, I don't know who is? But these full time mothers are prone to depression because they are not living up to their own and society’s expectations. As a society we are sadly out of balance."
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