Mothers, anger and the unseen weight: new research shows maternal fury is common — and a signal not a shame
No one warns you about the anger. New reporting and recent research suggest that irritation, seething resentment and occasional “mom rage” are common, understandable responses to the sustained mental and emotional labour of parenting — not signs of moral failure. An in-depth feature by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation found mothers routinely suppress anger because cultural narratives of the “perfect mother” label such feelings as unacceptable, leaving many women feeling “socially gaslit” into silence (ABC News). Academic studies reinforce that the mental load — the invisible planning, organising and emotional labour of family life — falls heavily on mothers and is closely linked to frustration, burnout and mood disturbance (University of Bath / University of Melbourne research release; ScienceDaily summary).