‘I can’t be the mum I want to be’: why does parenthood feel so impossible for millennial mothers?
News Source
•Sun, 27 Sep 2026 15:00:09 GMT
📰 What Happened
Many millennial mothers in Australia say they cannot keep up. One Sydney mum, Katherine, even asked ChatGPT how to make her week work. She works four days a week and cannot drop a day without money trouble.
Going up to five days would raise her pay by 20%, but it would also mean even less time with her children. She says her whole wage now goes on the mortgage.
New research from The Parenthood found raising two or more children now costs at least $36,500 a year. Family costs rose 134% in 20 years, but incomes grew only 102%. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 56% of single mothers with children under 15 were always or often rushed. For partnered mothers the number was 54.6%.
🔍 The Backstory
Women today are more educated and more likely to work than earlier generations. They also spend more time with their children than mothers did decades ago. That mix has created a new kind of pressure.
Experts say mothers are expected to run a career, a home and their own health all at once. Georgie Dent from The Parenthood says having a child cuts an Australian woman's earnings by about 55% over the first five years.
For years parents were told to juggle better. The new research suggests the problem is cost and time, not effort.
🎯 Why It Matters
If you are a parent, this shows the daily juggle is a shared problem, not a personal failure. It also explains why childcare, wages and housing costs matter so much to families.
Many millennial mothers in Australia say they cannot keep up. One Sydney mum, Katherine, even asked ChatGPT how to make her week work. She works four days a week and cannot drop a day without money trouble.
Going up to five days would raise her pay by 20%, but it would also mean even less time with her children. She says her whole wage now goes on the mortgage.
New research from The Parenthood found raising two or more children now costs at least $36,500 a year. Family costs rose 134% in 20 years, but incomes grew only 102%. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 56% of single mothers with children under 15 were always or often rushed. For partnered mothers the number was 54.6%.
Women today are more educated and more likely to work than earlier generations. They also spend more time with their children than mothers did decades ago. That mix has created a new kind of pressure.
Experts say mothers are expected to run a career, a home and their own health all at once. Georgie Dent from The Parenthood says having a child cuts an Australian woman's earnings by about 55% over the first five years.
For years parents were told to juggle better. The new research suggests the problem is cost and time, not effort.
If you are a parent, this shows the daily juggle is a shared problem, not a personal failure. It also explains why childcare, wages and housing costs matter so much to families.