Working mothers prefer part time work

There was once a time when women were homemakers and raised their family while living in a great big house in the suburbs. Their husbands worked full time, and made enough money to support them, their two kids, and the dog; and their husbands always made it home in time for supper, which of course, his wife dutifully prepared for him and the children.

Those "Leave it To Beaver" type days are far behind us. Today’s world is much different. In order for someone to afford the great big house in the suburbs, the two kids and a dog, as the sole breadwinner the husband would probably never make it home in time for supper. This is likely the main reason that currently, according to the Federal government, a whopping 70 percent of American women with children under 18 now work outside the home.

With such a high percentage of working mothers in the workforce, it is no surprise that some working mothers have begun to question their choice of working full time while raising children. According to a recent study of working mothers conducted by the Pew Research Center from 1997 through 2007, fewer mothers prefer full time work to part time work.

Many of today’s working mothers feel that working full time is taking up too much of their time and feel guilty for not catering more to the needs of their children. In fact, according to the same survey, working mothers who work long hours gave themselves poor marks as parents.

The survey found that:

• Only 28 percent of mothers who work fulltime jobs said that they were doing a good job of parenting, while

• 41 percent of mothers who work part time jobs said they were doing a good job parenting.

If only about a quarter of all mothers who work full time felt they were doing a good job as parents, one would think that the same people who responded that way would want part time jobs. And they do, as according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• 60 percent of employed mothers find that part time work would not only be the best for their families, but also for themselves.

However, only 24 percent of all working mothers actually have part time jobs—a sharp disconnect between the job that working mothers want and the type of job they actually have.

This disconnect may be due to a number of factors, but I personally believe that it occurs because companies are not sensitive enough to the needs of working mothers. Perhaps the reason a minority of working moms are working part time while the majority say they want to do so is because they just can’t— their companies may not allow it.

This study should be a loud and clear wake up call to all US companies. I’m sure that most employers are aware of the fact that women will soon make up 50 percent of the workforce, but they also need to understand that women are still going to have children and raise them. That said, all companies should be finding ways to accommodate women with children so that they can do their work and take care of their families.

Failing to do so can be costly for employers. If women made up five percent of the work force it might be a different story. But when half of your workforce is female and you don’t take the necessary steps to accommodate their needs as mothers and caretakers, turnover will inevitably follow— and all employers hate increased employee turnover.

By creating flexible work schedules for working moms (and any other employee that needs them) employers can create employee loyalty that money cannot buy.