Why do so many women have a hard time getting along with their mother-in-law?
Online, the popular term for “Mother-In- Law” is MIL for short.
Example: My MIL just showed up unannounced and the house is a mess!
Stereotypically, mother-in-laws have bad reputations…
And in a study done by a psychologist at the University of Cambridge, 60% of women say they have stressful relationships with their mother-in-laws.
While only 15% of men admit to having tense relationships with their mother-in-laws.
What kinds of issues make the relationship stressful?
For the women in Apter’s study, the most common flash points were issues traditionally considered maternal ones: child care and housework. Conflict arises when the newcomer and the more experienced matriarch wrestle over whose way is best. “There’s a concern that the values and norms of a different culture will take your son and your grandchildren away from the values and norms embedded in your own family,” says Apter, a psychologist at Cambridge University
But it might not be only the mother-in-laws who are responsible for the tension.
While 2/3 of the wives surveyed said they thought their MIL’s were jealous of their relationship with their husband…
2/3 of the mother-in-laws surveyed said they felt excluded by their sons’ wives…
Starts to sound a little bit like which came first, the chicken or the egg?
What do you think?
Are wives excluding their mother-in-laws first…and that’s why the mother-in-laws are upset?
Or are the mother-in-laws jealous of their son’s partner from the get go and that makes things difficult in the relationship?
Share your mother-in-law experiences and opinions in the comments section and click through to the full article to read more about the study done at Cambridge University…
Mother-In-Law Problems: They’re Worse For Women [TIME]
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