How working parents can fight burnout: Stanford sociologist Marianne Cooper [Video]

For busy working parents, it’s next to impossible to avoid bringing the stresses of work home at the end of the day.

In fact, it’s such a common phenomenon that there’s a technical term for it: “Work-family spillover.” And learning how to manage it is crucial, because it helps keep you from passing your own anxiety onto your children, says Dr. Marianne Cooper, a Stanford University sociologist who researches gender and the future of work.

“That’s a daily battle that every working parent experiences,” Cooper tells CNBC Make It.

Roughly 66% of working parents in the U.S. suffer from parental burnout, according to a 2022 Ohio State University study, and stress that carries over between home and work is a major contributor. Workers who feel burned out are more likely to be distracted and apathetic during the workday, causing poorer performance and even a recent increase in resignations.

“That spills over into you being less patient with …