If you're wondering why it's so hard for mothers today, take a look at a new study by Brown University sociologist Susan E. Short, Ph.D.
Short and a team of researchers analyzed US Census data from 1880 to 2000 and found that mothers of young children have far less help from other women than ever before.

"The findings show that at the end of the 20th century, only about 20 percent of mothers with young children lived with another female who might help with housework and childcare, compared to nearly 50 percent in the late 19th century."

The researchers noted some obvious reasons for the decline: More daughters are attending school, and more of our mothers (and mothers-in-law) are working outside the home. (And I'd point out that fewer of us are living with or near our extended families, yet another down side to our increasingly mobile culture.)

Of course, this study didn't look at what kinds of contributions fathers are making. Research by Suzanne Bianchi, Ph.D., and others at the University of Maryland is showing that father are more involved in child-rearing and domestic tasks than they were a generation or two ago.

But women still are responsible for the bulk of domestic tasks, and without government supports or the built-in networks that women had a century ago, each of us is forced to cobble together our own patchwork of help. No easy task, as any mother will tell you. Stumble It!