Working outside the home may help mom’s memory

Working outside the home may help mom’s memory


Let’s start by stipulating that women work hard, whether they are keeping things going on the home front, working for pay outside the home or both. We owe all of them an enormous debt of gratitude.

Recent research shows, though, that women who get paid for their efforts may get a benefit larger than a paycheck. Women who worked for pay outside the home in early adulthood or middle age had better memories later in life than women who were not part of the workforce.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles examined more than 6,000 women who shared their work and life experiences from age 16 to 50. The women included working non-mothers, working married mothers, working single moms, and stay-at-home single and married mothers.

After age 55, the women were given memory tests periodically over the next 12 years. After accounting for race and ethnicity, education and socioeconomic status in childhood, the memory scores were similar across the various groups between ages 55 and 60.

But something happened after age 60. The average rate of memory decline was 50% greater among women who did not work for pay after having kids, compared with those who were working moms.

The researchers cautioned against making any sweeping conclusions, but they did offer a possible explanation. The mental stimulation people receive from paid work could promote social engagement, which studies have shown can lead to better cognitive health in later years.

It’s something to keep in mind at the end of a long week of being a paycheck-earning, multitasking woman: You may be exhausted, but you just might be helping your brain keep fit.

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