Mounting Evidence of Advantages of Working Mothers

[LotusLight]

www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/upshot/mounting-evidence-of-some-advantages-for-children-of-working-mothers.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=0

So wise, so very wise....
Play nicely children.

Are you being sarcastic, Lotus?

Interesting. I knew that the educational attainment of the mother was one of the highest factors in terms of positive educational outcomes for children but this is also interesting.

I'm really interested in what their definition of 'working mother' is. Can you link to the research?

Also it's interesting that good outcomes are considered to be improved salary, higher chance of managerial position etc...if the children of SAHM's follow by example and choose to be SAHM's then they are obviously going to be in the 'less successful' category but presumably they've made a decision to eschew financial rewards so to say that these financial rewards are the benefits seems a little...skewed.

(apols for rogue apostrophes! SAHMs)

I always assumed there were advantages both ways.

good point gat
I suspect if you measured 'success' in other ways you end up with a different answer.

I'm sure there are stealth

I have no particular axe to grind either way (just about to go back to work after 5 years as SAHM and happy with both choices).

Just interesting that the 'advantages' are basically financial. If someone is raised by a SAHM and thinks they had a really happy childhood and would like to stay home to raise their DC as a result then this study would consider that a disadvantage. Yet the family will be experiencing other advantages that aren't being measure..

Let's face it, there is no blanket right or wrong. Only what's right for your family.

"and sons spent seven and a half more hours a week on child care and 25 more minutes on housework"

Apparently the difference is smaller in countries where there is widespread acceptance of working women.

Seems a pretty significant difference. It'd be interesting to see if father's behaviour here had an impact.

That's a good point slightly.

Still wondering if the correlation is that children of working mothers are more likely to be working mothers and children of SAHM more likely to be SAHM (which would also be a likely explanation for increased childcare/housework input by fathers..)

Are there any advantages of working fathers?
The advantages of working mothers will be much the same.

Happy mother = happy child (within reason)

Financial security is important when bringing up children as well. However there are so many variables.

Working gives more security for a woman and her DCs, e.g. to avoid a massive drop in their standard of living, if her OH buggers off with a younger model and cba to support his kids.
Or he may die suddenly, or become unemployed.

Also, if the relationship becomes abusive, the woman has more options to take the kids out of that situation if she has a job and her own money.

These factors could affect educational outcomes and life chances.

from a newsletter which also printed the immortal words:

Growing up in some places — especially liberal ones — makes children less likely to marry, new data shows

no shit Sherlock...

Across 25 countries, 69 percent of women with a working mother were employed, and 22 percent were supervisors, compared with 66 percent and 18 percent of those whose mothers stayed home. Daughters of working mothers earned 6 percent more.

Pretty modest differences!!

Biggest advantage of my mother working is my gran cooked more. ??