Working mums: new study finds going out to work has no harmful effect on small children

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello. We've just had the heads-up on this study suggesting that there are no significant detrimental effects on a child's social or emotional development if her or his mother works during her or his early years.

In fact, young girls may even gain from being in a household where their mother works, say researchers at University College London, in a UK-wide project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

These findings run counter to those of some previous studies, which have suggested that children whose mother works in the first year of their life may be more prone to bad behaviour, or even to be more overweight.

What do you think? Do the new findings surprise you? Or confirm what you already knew? Do tell...

capitalist bullshit culture as you call it
maintains
free NHS
free school
free access to primary care
free social services
...to name a few services the wage slaves you tut about pay for

'It is a myth that a woman's equality lies in working outside the home'

i agree with this in many ways. Women should be able to work of course and be paid the same as a man would in the same role. BUT we should also have women's care of children valued as productive too (and of course SAHD's too). It is productive as often it allows the other partner to work for one thing.

I never hear people slating SAHD's. I wonder why? Does anyone have a view on that? I have heard one person on here (won't name names but i am sure people may guess) say that women SAH are like prostitutes but SAHD are fine.

do you have a working wage slave partner who maintains your sahm choice?
if so,youre as embroiled in capitalism as the rest of us
the my hands are clean im not a wage slave is bit risible if your family is maintained by a wage youre direct beneficiary of it.making you wholly dependant upon capitalism and the wage slave ability to maintain and sustain that level of salary

Young girls will benefit from seeing both parents equally valued whatever their work/non work choices are.

'do you have a working wage slave partner who maintains your sahm choice?'

My Dh and I have both spent time working and doing childcare. At the moment he has a job he loves, just less than 40 hours a week, and would not swap it for anything! I offered him to SAH but he declined! He often admits it is easier going to work than looking after 5 DC! But he does have the kids while i am at college and tutorials and when I go out. I don't think of him as a wage slave for a few reasons. He is public sector and an important job which in no way is about profits and also there has to be some money coming into the house and he wants to do that and is choosing to do so. I SAH as it is easier with his hours etc as childcare didn't work for me first time around. I have no relatives to do childcare who are in the area. I also want to be home for now. We are both happy so I wouldn't describe us as slaves. I also don't think his contribution to our family is more important than mine just because he recieves a currency. But I am cynical of society and materialism on the whole and can see valid arguments in what other posters have touched upon.

I work and I also afford what's necessary. I don;t think that working is something people always do just so they can get 'stuff'.

'Young girls will benefit from seeing both parents equally valued whatever their work/non work choices are.'
Very true motherschoice. I am lucky that my DC's have friends whose parents SAH, WOH and are lone parents on IS. I make sure my DC are non judgemental and everybody is different. I would pull them up just as much on judging a mum working as SAH.

"wage slave" not my term.the contradiction is to deride wage slaves and capitalism but be wholly dependent upon it to maintain family and sahm role. the sahm is direct beneficiary of the so called wage slave

curious term to describe someone upon whom a family are wholly dependent. quite derisory that the person who fundamentally pits the food in fridge ad pays the mn broadband is so reduced.its not a flattering description

I worked for the NHS scottishmummy, I helped to provide the service

The NHS is one of the few remaining good, socialist institutions. Free healthcare for all. Capitalism would drive it towards privatisation though.

Yes my dh works. My point was about myself though. I choose not to work. I can make that choice because my dh earns enough yes. But we are not wage slaves (by my definition of what that means) because whilst we accept it is important to earn, we can be happy on one wage so that I can be with my kids full time. Something that makes me happy and fulfills me. But I still find I have to justify myself frequently. I get asked if I get bored, about my lack of career, about what role model I am being for my dd. I get told my children are missing out because they don't go to paid child care.

Of course I am embroiled in the culture I live in and thus capitalism. I couldn't escape it without being very extreme. However I can try in my own way, to not succumb to some of its pitfalls.

you deride others as wage slave?you dont work and are wholly dependent upon your partner wage.capitalism benefits you,and maintains your family. so by your definition is he a wage slave,are you too indebted. you are wholly dependently upon your wage slave husband to buy such capitalist goodies as broadband. so do spare us the implication that everyone else is tainted wage slave with dirty money but you are exempt. do you call your partner the wage slave, does he object

you see i dont consider myself a wage slave. i dont have to work,i chose to. my experience and skills give me considerable choices in the labour market. i am not compelled

i do however understand work is the exchange of ones time,skillls and adherence to an external set of behaviours and tasks for money.

if wage slave = paying mortgage and being in a position to not claim benefits to support my family - then yes i am. i am a slave to a capitilist system and until that system changes, as a working class person, i work hard, my dh works hard, and my children both at college are also working to support their lifestyle choices.

society works thus : you go to school - you grow up - you work.

if you are in a position where you can have children and not claim off the state and make a choice to be at home with them - good for you - but you are only not a wage slave by virtue of being rich enough to have a CHOICE

most people dont have A CHOICE and don't do it because they want a pretty dress and some nice shoes at the end of the month. they do it to pay the fucking bills so dont be so fucking patronising as to suggest that working people have a choice - and they only work becuase they want to buy. in this economic climate - if your fortunate enough to have a job in the first place, the last thing your doing is buying 'stuff' your paying the mortgage/rent/food/transport costs etc.

dont you dare suggest to me that i get up at dawns crack and travel 130 miles per day to a job becuase i want 'stuff' i do it to pay the fucking bills becuase i dont have many options and i was made redundant and a job 65 miles away ws all i could get - and i took it - i took it with gusto - and i am knackered absolutley fucking knackered so fuck off with the suggestion that i do it becuase i want what>? what the fuck do i want so fucking bad? a ROOF A FUCKING ROOF THATS WHAT

see you chose not to forgo pitfall of broadband though?
and you benefit directly from capitalism,as your partner wage allows you choice not to work.you're a direct beneficiary of capitalism and as tied up in dependance upon salary as a working person.

yeah scottishmummy yeah!!

oh and as well as THAT FUCKING ROOF i was talking about...i also have broadband

For most SAHM's, it is a decision made as a couple, rarely the sole lifestyle 'choice' of the woman.

Not every man and woman in this country wants their children to be institutionalised from birth just because new labour told us to. My OH prefers me, the mother of our children, to look after them not some 16yr old school leaver who doesn't give a s*.

I'm sure my 3yr old daughter is learning alot more about human relationships at home seeing her mother nurture and breastfeed her baby brother than if I was to rush out of the door at 8am everyday not to see me again until 6/7pm at night... abandoned to some caregivers that will entertain her but not love her.

Though not much value these days placed on loving, nurturing or dare I say it breastfeeding our children, as long as you can provide them with the latest everything and give them a few hours 'quality time'.

I look forward to Ben Goldacre getting his hands on that research

i provide for my family,that gives me considerable pride
and i pay a lot for my children to be ignored and mistreated by feral nursery staff, who cleverly pull wool over my eyes and ofsted to fake an excellent nursery environment

I never denied that I benefit in some ways from capitalism scottishmummy. It has it's pitfalls though and the worse off are usually women and the poor

you see a few of you describe a set up that manages on 1 male wage. that isnt available or replicated for all families. and it smacks of middle class im alright thanks with the one wage slave

do you consider your working partners to be inadequate parents as they arent there for the finger painting,and feeding and nurturing?

you arent doing too badly addresses,if you have financial security that means you dont have to work.you chose not to work and have adequate financial means to support that.thats not indicative of poverty or hard done too

some folk are out working,doing tin in,to make ends meet. quite simply one wage wouldn't be adequate.they dont have your luxury of choice

And I pride myself in providing for my children, although it isn't in monetary terms

no the wage slave does that

scottishmummy Sun 24-Jul-11 23:06:51
no the wage slave does that

custy likes this

The usual response when someone doesn't agree with your world view. Petty, snide remarks. Can't be bothered. Night all

statement of fact you dont financially provide.the wage slave does
as described by yourself

A like button is needed, custy- I like that post from scottishmummy too!

I think the finding that it seems to benefit children to have their same gender parent in paid work and their different gender parent contributing fairly equally to caring and household activities is really interesting. I wonder if there are any gay parents in the cohort?