Cambridge Findings on Who Bears Babies More Efficiently: A Look at How Loads Affect Walking
Researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted a study to compare how women and men feel and perform when carrying a child under different conditions. The study appeared in Evolutionary Human Sciences and involved a small group of nine women and six men. They walked a one kilometer forest road while carrying a baby sling in three different configurations: no load, a sling worn on the side, and slings carried on the front or back.
To understand the impact of carrying a child, the scientists recorded details about the baby in each trial including weight and height. They also noted the parents’ height, weight, and strength to see how these factors might influence carrying efficiency and exertion. On average the babies weighed around 11 kilograms, and the male participants carried noticeably more mass in total than the female participants, with fathers averaging around 19 kilograms more than mothers across the trials.
Across all setups, carrying the infant on the back emerged as the most energy-efficient method, showing little to no reduction in walking speed. Front carrying was less forgiving; as the child’s weight increased, fatigue and discomfort rose, and speed tended to drop. Side carrying offered similar patterns but was generally easiest with smaller to mid-sized infants, with greater strain appearing as the child’s weight rose. In every carrying scenario, the data indicated that women were generally more effective at managing the load and maintaining stamina while walking than men.
These results contribute to a broader conversation about how parental weight distribution and carrying style affect physical effort during tasks that require mobility and sustained effort. The study design focused on controlled conditions with a limited number of participants, so the authors emphasize that real-world factors such as terrain, weather, and personal technique can influence outcomes. Still, the Cambridge team notes a consistent trend: female carriers tended to conserve energy more efficiently than their male counterparts across the tested configurations. Cambridge researchers also highlight that differences in body composition, muscle distribution, and overall endurance may play a role in these observed patterns, though further research with larger samples would help clarify the mechanisms behind the findings. These insights can inform caregivers, designers of baby carriers, and health professionals who advise on carrying practices during daily activities or physical tasks.