In the span of the past decade, full-time work outside of the home has lost some of its appeal to mothers. This fact holds true for both those who have these jobs and those who don't.
These are the top line findings of a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends Report titled, Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work.
Only 21% of moms with children under the age 18 say full-time work is the ideal situation for them. In 1997, 32% felt this way, thus a representing a huge shift.
Sixty percent (60%), up from 48% in 1997, of today's working mothers say part-time work would be their ideal.
These data points represent significant attitudinal shifts. The survey did not explore reasons women say one work situation or another is preferred, so we can.
15 comments:
I can see all of those as reason's why women are beginning to "prefer" to stay home (at least part-time).
I work a full-time job, but it's VERY flexibe. I work from home at least one full day a week and I can take off whenever needed. BUT I do some evening meetings and such when our son is asleep or home with my husband. I've had this job since he was born 5 years ago and it work's perfectly for our family.
I often wonder what I would do if I had to find another job because I know it would be hard to get the same flexibility elsewhere. And I know I couldn't clock in/out at an 8 hour a day office!!!
Overall I believe most families and working mothers seek a balance in their lives.
I think it's a combination of factors. I worked full time before my kids were born, part time from the time the first was born to the time the third was a year old, and now I'm a SAHM to 4 under 8. Being able to work part time is ideal for me - I felt like I was spending enough time with my kids that we all felt good, but not so much that we sometimes felt the need to escape from each other like we do now. I also got the opportunity to exercise my brain for something besides knowing all the songs on Dora. My work was rewarding and satisfying. That said, there was a work culture that didn't really support mothers - childless people or those men whose wives stayed home while they worked constantly often complained that parents "got to leave early" or that they were "picking up the slack" for parents and they didn't really acknowledge that we had negotiated a part time schedule for part time pay and benefits. Full time work performance was still expected, and was ultimately part of my decision to stay home.
Another factor was the difficulty in finding high quality, affordable child care. Even accounting for the addition to my retirement account, after I had 3 kids age 5 and under in daycare I only made about $100/month if you accounted for daycare costs. I can do that blogging. It just wasn't worth the cost and aggravation of a DC commute.
I loved my full-time job, which I held until my older daughter was three years old. I gave it up when we moved from New Jersey to Colorado.
I wish I could have found another job out here that I loved as much as the old one, but I haven't. So I turned blogging into a full-time job instead. For me, full-time work - whether from home or from an office - is preferable.
I blogged about how working part-time works really well for me. I think it has to be the right mix of your supervisors, benefits options, team and child care to work.
I'm not sure why the pendulum swings, I can only comment for myself. I think being a full-time working/part-time/or stay-at-home mom is a very personal decision. I always knew that I would be a stay-at-home mom at least until my kids were in elementary school.
It is important to me that my kids receive the core values that my husband and I share. I want them to hear how I treat everyone we encounter with respect. I want them to hear me say thank you and see me be patient when something goes wrong. There are so many teachable moments throughout the day and I want to be sure that my 5 and 3 year old are getting the right message. I look at it as an investment in the future.
Luckily, my career is teaching. When I do go back, I will have summers off and a similar schedule as my children. I think this will be ideal. I can totally see how part-time work would appeal to a growing group of women. The cliche is true, they grow up fast, and there will be plenty of time for working then!--I often joke with my husband that this is my retirement, and after I return to work I will work until I am 80. For me, it's worth it.
My ideal situation would be part time in which I am paid VERY well (why not?) so that I can have a balance of work progress/stimulation and time with my babies.
Before having kids, obviously, work was a central pursuit to me. But how can things be the same now?
I can see how some Mothers are feeling this way about marrying a full-time job with Motherhood. Just the issue of finding a trustworthy daycare provider alone is enough to keep some Moms at home (not to mention work cultures that aren�t supportive to their Mom employees). That being said, I love my full-time - out of the home - job. I wake up everyday excited to be a strong role model for my young daughter. I�m proud to bring her on the road when I travel, to tell her stories about what I did while at work and to demonstrate to her that there can be a balance between a successful career and a healthy and happy family. I wouldn�t trade this for the entire world and hope that when she is a woman faced with this dilemma she is given the opportunity to make the choice that is best for her.
The poll results were interesting. I quit my full-time job three days before my second son was born, because the cost of full-time daycare for two children was almost equal to my paycheck. So I can't speak from experience, but from what I have read on blogs, it seems like many workplaces do not give much support to working mothers. I was almost fired from my job before I quit, because I had used more then my allotted ten personal days. Well, when your babysitter calls you and says there was an outbreak of chicken pox and your child can't come in, and you don't have family available to help, what are you supposed to do?
On the other side of this discussion, what about Dads? Would they prefer to work part-time and spend more time with their kids as well?
Elizabeth asked about Dads. The answer is..."72% fathers say the ideal situation for them is a full-time job."
I just became a stay at home mom in the last year.
The biggest adjustment for me has been the loss of income but the reason I've put my career on hold is that my husband and I feel it's extremely important for one of us to be with our son and we are financially able to make that possible for at least a few years. I realize how fortunate we are in that regard.
If I could freelance from home after the first year, I would definitely consider something part time because it truly affords the best of both worlds.
This is a subject I'd like to understand better. I was a stay at home Mom for 15 years and though I don't regret it (would do it over in a hearbeat) being home did make it harder to find a job when it was time to go back into the workforce.
Today, I hope families have more options and that companies will give Moms and Dads flex time, if possible.
Kevin's note saying Dads reported wanting full time jobs 72% of the time is interesting, also. Is this a learned reaction - in a society that still thinks Dads should be working? Or, are the men being honest by saying they prefer working full time.
I'm going to write about this on Lipsticking and see what we can uncover. Thanks for posting this, Kevin.
Very interesting poll results ... having worked full-time as a management consultant until my first child was born, then 4 days a week (with lots of business travel still) after the second and third and then moving onto starting my own web publishing business (in which I work much more than 40 hours a week but as the co-founder have the flexibility to work when I want, even if that is at midnight) all of these stages have been satisfying and, I think, good for my family.
Reflecting on the choices the poll offered, I think there is something missing that explains what I personally need the flexibility in my work hours now ... it's a combination of the 'desire to spend more time with my children' and 'children needing more attention' answers but it's really to do with the societal/community pressures on getting the kids involved in various lessons and activities, being asked to volunteer more and more in the kids' school, taking half a day off to attend the pre-school 'graduation ceremony' (a new introduction at my kids' school between when my 6 year old attended and now my 3 year old being there)... I think moms 10 and 20 years ago working had much less pressure on them to attend these events (they didn't even exist in some cases), to take the kids to swimming lessons from age 6 months and on (never mind the baby signing, the Kumon and whatever else is chosen). In my case, anyway, as much as I try to keep all that to a manageable level, with three busy kids the lessons, the forms to fill out etc. etc. multiplies into effectively another part-time job and takes up A LOT of time in the week.
The great thing about my job now is I can spend a day in the classroom or on a filed trip, just like the moms who are not working, and avoid the guilt factor. The crazy thing is that I just don't see it getting any better anytime soon, at least until one of the kids gets a driver's licence!
My wife sent me this article which offers a perspective that is easy to understand but I believe difficult to imagine.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19747356/from/ET/
As a mom who works part-time from home, I can attest that I am truly living my "ideal" at the moment. It can be crazy at times and sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel, but mostly I am extremely grateful. I love the freedom and the flexibility of making my own hours - and being able to work at convenient times (think: naptime and bedtime). And I love keeping my foot in the professional world: contributing and taking in, being mentored and mentoring, growing intellectually and socially.
I hope that I'm setting a great example for my daughter - I want to show her that women (and mothers) can be actively involved in the workforce and the larger community. But I also want to be her number one caregiver and fan.
Read more of my thoughts on this topic on my blog at: http://metropolitanmama.blogspot.com.
The Light Iris blog is the Light Iris is a recently launched search engine for new moms. Before it launched, when all we could see was the blog of the founder, we were intrigued because he is a man wearing a pregnancy belly in order to gain empathy for pregnant women.
Mack
New Jersey Treatment Centers
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