A Danish study published in 2025 dismantles a myth: if women get up three times more often than men when baby cries, it is not their ear that makes the difference, but social roles, experience and mental load that weigh above all on mothers.
An almost identical auditory sensitivity between men and women
Researchers from the University of Aarhus (Denmark) conducted a study published in early 2025 in the journal Emotion To check if women are biologically more reactive to the night crying of babies.
In a first experience, 142 adults without children slept at home while sounds – baby complaints or alarms – were broadcast at various sound levels.
Result: women woke up about 14 % more often than men only because of the very low sounds (33-44 dB), equivalent to a murmur. At higher volumes, the responsiveness of both sexes was identical.
Night reality: mothers three times more stressed
A second study focused on 117 couples of new parents, who noted their night awakenings for a week.
Women have proven to be three times more often active than men to respond to the crying of the child. In only 23 % of couples, sharing was balanced. This blatant contrast could not be explained by the slight sensory difference identified in the first phase of the study.
Above all social, not organic causes
The gap between mothers and fathers in night care, according to the authors, is more of social construction than biological. Several factors intersect:
- Maternity leave is almost always taken before paternity leave, offering mothers more experience in early care.
- Breastfeeding frequently encourages mothers to intervene while fathers sleep.
- Finally, standards and expectations towards mothers generally place them on the front line for night care, strengthening a circle of mental load and “expected” reflexes.
Simulations against reality: the gap remains enormous
The researchers also simulated nights with a baby (4 to 5 night events), randomly attributing the alarm clock according to the observed sensitivities.
In these models, women only took charge of 57 % of night interventions. However in reality, mothers assumed around 76 % of night care: a significant difference that the simulation did not reproduce.
What parents must remember
For parents, this study delivers several useful avenues:
- Distinguish myth and reality: Women are not “programmed” to hear baby more than men.
- Rebalance the load: Encourage a more active involvement of fathers from the start.
- Rethink the night routines: Establish shared gestures such as changes, comfort or bottle, even if the mother is breastfeeding.
- Relieve the mental load: Organize night towers to prevent maternal exhaustion and marital tensions, which often occur because of the disproportionate lack of sleep experienced by mothers.
