Children whose mothers work part-time are less likely to be overweight than children whose moms are in full-time work or not in the workforce, according to new Australian research.

The study looked at the impact of mothers’ hours of paid work on children’s lifestyle and weight at ages 4-5 years and 6-7 years, using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (an amazing study by the way.)

Children whose mothers worked part-time were less likely to be overweight, watched less TV, ate less junk food and were more physically active than children whose mothers were working full-time or at home full-time.

You can read more about the study by downloading a press release from  The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, in collaboration with the University of New England and the Australian National University.

It’s an interesting study.

Of course, working part-time is a wonderful solution for working parents (men and women). Sadly, here in the United States, the concept of part-time doesn’t seem as well advanced as other parts of the world.

My experience is that:

1. Part-time work is great if you can afford. Many people can’t — and they’re the ones (often those in poorly-paid jobs) who often don’t have the voice to lobby for increased flexibility.
2. The U.S. lags behind Australia and the U.K. when it comes to job sharing. I’ve seen many people job share some very senior jobs in Australia.
3. Many part-timers lose benefits in the U.S. That’s a powerful disincentive to work part-time.

And who hasn’t stuck their kids in front of the TV at some time? I have. I do. And I will continue to do so at times. My kids are banned from watching Monday to Friday but I am not above breaking my own rule when I have a work deadline.

As someone who works full-time (but telecommutes so I have flexibility) and knows how to cook fast and nutritional meals (my mother taught restaurant management, had her own French restaurant and was a fantastic cook),  I don’t know how to respond to this.

I tend to think a huge amount of this problem relates to the lost art of cooking.

In France, where I lived for a few years, cooking dinner was like a weight around working women’s necks, a big fat albatross made out of Normandy butter. That horrible pressure to churn out a four course meal for lunch … and hold down a full-time job.

I do see people struggle to get basic meals on the table …  and find it so hard that they resort to packets, snacks, takeout and prepackaged meals.

We eat simply most nights. A bowl of pasta and salad, some lentils and rice other nights, a stir fry another.  It isn’t difficult or expensive, but it takes practice and timing to do it night after night.

(But I am very lucky. We can afford a cleaner to come in regularly to clean up our well-used kitchen where I churn out hot breakfasts and dinners six to seven days a week. I know many people can’t, and if they’re like me, a huge deterrent to cooking often is the big bloody mess it makes.)

P.S. My kids are skinny as rakes so far.

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