Advantages Of Working Mothers

. Societal views and expectations regarding gender in America can also be attributed to why women continue to encounter discrimination in the workplace. Throughout history, American society has considered women's roles to revolve around childbearing and raising a family. In the article "Breadwinner Moms," Wang, Parker and Taylor from the Pew Research Center of Social and Demographic Trends describe how over time, women have shown an increased presence in the workplace (U.S Department of Labor), and have also taken a stronger role in the family home by becoming the main provider for the family (Wang et al., YEAR).

The price of motherhood is the collective sum of all that women give up in order to raise their children. Mothers have difficulty finding jobs, or keeping the ones they have once they have their first, or in some cases second, child. They have trouble finding a schedule that fits their needs and employers that understand what mothers go through. As a result, many mothers quit their jobs. Other mothers, who remain stay-at-home, do not receive any benefits from their hard work. Divorced mothers also tend to receive little child support, since they did not bring in any income themselves.

The term 'working mother' is a redundancy. No woman need feel any guilt for opting to fill her days with whichever activities give her the greatest joy and fulfillment” (English, 2005).

He sites “The Pecking Order (2004)” for the information he provides. Conley states that girls who lived in a household where their mother worked typically attained jobs which were equivalent in pay and stature as their brothers. Whereas, the professional gap between male and female siblings was much larger for young women who grew up in a household with a stay at home mother. Why is this? Are young women who see their mothers work more independent, driven and confident than those with mothers who stayed at home? Are these young women pushed towards careers by their parents, or do they just have a desire for financial independence? Do young woman who see their mothers stay at home, lack motivation or do they have a higher desire to nurture so therefore they have a job instead of a career? Although I have seen some cases contrary to this, it is not difficult to believe that this is the norm among female children of working versus non working

Many studies examine the influences of the child-care practices of employed moms on kids, however, disregard how employed moms' experience of motherhood influence their own lives and their childrearing limits. Susan Lewis in her article “Motherhood and Employment: The Impact of Social and organizational Values (1991)” examines the social development of parenthood and occupation and their effect on moms. “Cultural directives prescribe that women should become mothers and subsequently reduce their involvement in paid work, or, more recently that women can fulfill all the demands of full-time exclusive mothering and full-time paid work, without modifying the demands of either” (Lewis 195). She points out the connection between “employment” and

Being a stay at home mom is not an easy job and they should be applauded for what they are giving to their children. A stay at home mom is with their children all day and all night long. They have many jobs which include being a cook, nurse, and chauffer. My sister loves staying home with her kids and being able to watch them grow up. She doesn’t have to miss any important milestones or school functions because she has to be at work. Those are some of the great benefits of staying at home with your

Currently in the United States, women compromise half of the country’s workforce. Many single mothers are now the main income producer in the household. According to the US Department of Labor, “more than 75 percent of single mothers are the sole provider for their family.” ( citation) As a single mother of the past seven years, I will address the challenges and a few benefits single mothers encounter in the workforce.

With the context of a well-documented and increasing need for both parents to work, it appears these working mothers reframe mothering and paid work to indicate how they are still “in charge” of their children’s care even if not home full-time (Christopher, 2012). Mothers who are career professionals, with higher education levels and incomes, are able to outsource aspects of “intensive” mothering in a way provides their children more opportunities to compete in the global marketplace and become “successful” adults (Christopher, 2012; Cooper, 2014).

Working parents have to deal with some problems when it comes to working and parenting. They have to both do their jobs in the workforce and care for their children at home in order to maintain their families. In other words, they cannot fully commit themselves to just working or parenting. Also, working parents have to find family time to spend with their children in order to strengthen family relationships.

As a result, many parents find themselves in a difficult choice between spending time with their newly born children and working in order to support them.

Women are the birth givers of the world and they are penalized for doing so. More often than not, a first time mother will have to leave their job to take care of their new child. That by itself is not a problem, but the repercussions of doing so can last for years after a constant care is no longer needed. Ashley Nelson, who wrote in “Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom” the troubles a mother runs into when trying to balance a job and having a family. Stay-at-home mothers take massive hits to their personal careers, they are under constant scrutiny by the media, and they do not receive as many benefits as some other countries that allow mothers to return to their work force.

I believe mothers can have their some time off while raising their newborn, gradually they should be able to balance both work and their family but definitely with help of their partners and other family members, like mentioned in Stephanie Coontz's interview, The Family is Upheaval, “Women took on new responsibility for monitoring children's behavior until they left home for work or marriage. Motherly love replaced fatherly force as the main way of socializing children.” The ideal family form or the ideal marriage in this day and age is where both men and women or both partners support one, another to be better version and building a life where they both are equally sharing responsibility towards their

Because the belief systems regarding maternal employment vary in each family, it is important to look at the family dynamics that a working mother is a part of. Several studies have consistently shown that women benefit physically and psychologically from joining the workforce. These benefits especially increased if the women personally believed that their working statuses were beneficial (Chang 2013). Those who felt positively about working while having a child(ren) had less parental stress and felt more fulfilled with their decision to work or attend school than those who felt negatively about working or attending school. Working mothers’ attitudes toward maternal employment are also affected by their partners. A 2007 study showed that 60% of women (in heterosexual marriages) with higher education who stopped working to become full-time mothers credited their husbands as a critical influence in the decision; their husbands seldom took part in child care and other household chores, pressuring these mothers to take over such responsibilities (Stone,

The gap between job and pay equality between men and women has been narrowing over the last few decades. One reason for this trend is due to women postponing motherhood to focus on and advance their career before having to care for a child. Whether we like it or not, when women take time off to have a baby that can be seen as a break in action from the workplace. Perhaps they missed out on a project, on a big sale, on a one-time job promotion opportunity. By not taking time out of their early career to have a baby, women are finding that they are able to climb the corporate ladder perhaps faster than their predecessors. Higher salaries associated with career growth help to provide more financial security for having a family later in life. For example, at the University of Virginia, economist Amalia Miller calculated that for every year a

As the 1950s housewife began to fade a decade later in the 1960s, tension grew between the mothers in the home and the mothers in the workforce. Both saw their own way of life and parenting as superior, and a survey taken by forty-five thousand mothers across the United States proves that the flame is just as fervor as ever. A majority of mothers have been told at some point that they have made the wrong choice and feel unfairly judged by the other side. Working moms receive criticism for what stay-at-home moms (SAHM’s) may see as a lack of devotion to their families. Forty percent of working moms that took part in this study say that SAHM’s have made them feel guilty for having a job. However, mothers that stay home also feel judged by working moms. They are viewed as lazy women with no lives of their own who sit home and watch soap operas all day (Tusa 42). “‘The question I get most often is 'Are you happy?'" says Diana Gosnell, the mother of one in Chicago. "People seem to believe that you can't feel fulfilled or experience personal growth without a job or career’” (Tusa 42). Having a personal goal of staying home when my children are young, I wanted to find out for myself if one method is better than the other, and if this debate is warranted, so I set out to find more information.