Working mothers have been a topic of debate for decades. Some believe that women who work outside the home are better mothers because they are role models for their children. Others believe that working mothers are bad mothers because they are away from their children too much. Research show that working mothers have many benefits for children. 

When Marissa Mayer became the CEO of Yahoo! in 2012, she made headlines not just for her job title, but for her decision to take just a few weeks of maternity leave. She was the most visible working mother in the country, and made other women feel as though they had to choose between a successful career and motherhood. But instead of focusing on what women can’t do, let’s celebrate what they can do.

Working mothers face many challenges. There are the logistical problems — arranging child care, managing the household, finding time for yourself. Then there are the emotional challenges — the guilt, the worry, the sense that you should be doing more, the pressure to be the perfect mother and the best worker. And if you don't have an employer that offers maternity leave, the challenges are even greater.

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The debate over whether moms should work or stay at home with their children has long raged in the media. The advantages and hazards of moms focusing on their children's well-being are highly politicized. 

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Working mothers versus housewives 

Today, women have the opportunity to pursue careers, pursue their education, and even start their own businesses. But that doesn't mean that women can't also be mothers. Today, women can have both a career and a family, thanks to the rise of the working mother.

When a woman works outside the house, she is able to provide opportunities for her children that she would not have been able to provide if she stayed at home. Children of working mothers have been shown to have higher incomes and become more successful in their careers. Being a working mother also gives a woman the chance to provide her family with other luxuries, such as trips and education. Working mothers also have a chance to provide their children with financial stability, which is something that is very important in today's economy.

Working mothers are good for children because they provide their children with a good role model. Children learn a lot from watching their mothers, including how to be successful in the workplace. They also learn how to manage their time, how to be a professional, and how to balance their responsibilities. Working mothers also provide their children with financial support, which is essential for their children's futures.

Working mothers give their children the opportunity to learn how to function in the world. Children who are raised by working mothers learn to take care of themselves, clean up after themselves, and sometimes even cook for themselves. Working mothers also provide their children with an understanding of the world. Children who are raised by working mothers learn about how to interact with other people.

Working mothers help their children understand the importance of a career, and they encourage them to work hard and pursue their dreams. This can help children to become independent adults. Further, working mothers provide their children with a better financial background. When their mothers are working, children learn to appreciate the value of money.

Working mothers are good for children because they offer unique role models for their children. Working mothers also provide their children with financial security. When both parents work, the family is able to live a better lifestyle than if one parent stayed at home.

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Challenges faced by working mothers

The biggest challenge faced by working mothers is the challenge of time. Working mothers are often faced with the challenge of finding enough time to be with their children and still work. This is a difficult challenge, but it can be overcome through good time management. When a working mother finds that she doesn't have enough time to do everything she needs to do, she can prioritize her tasks and complete the tasks that are the most important to her first.

When a woman works outside the home, she has the opportunity to offer her family with opportunities and luxuries that she would not have been able to provide if she stayed at home. Working mothers also have a chance to provide their children with financial stability, which is very important in today's economy. Being a working mother also gives a woman the chance to provide her family with other luxuries, such as vacations and education for her children.

The challenges faced by working mothers are perhaps the most difficult challenges that a woman must face. When a woman is a working mother, she is faced with the challenge of finding a balance between her career and her family. For many women, this has meant leaving their career at some point to raise their children, or at least reducing their hours so that they can be home with their children. This means that the mother is not able to provide her family with the financial security that she might otherwise be able to provide.

Research indicates that parenthood can lead to inaccurate perceptions that mothers are less competent, devoted, and productive in their professional roles. This phenomenon, known as the "motherhood penalty," results in lower pay for mothers and a higher likelihood of being passed over in hiring and promotion decisions. Surveys suggest that one in every three mothers has considered seeking less demanding job opportunities due to these challenges.

Working mothers’ trends 

Working mothers trends have changed the working mother landscape. In the past, women who wanted to work often felt pressured to quit their jobs when they became mothers. Today, more women are working throughout their pregnancies and after their children are born. This has led to a greater understanding of the importance of women in the workplace.

Each year, women provide their families with the food, clothing, and shelter that they need to survive. Working women often provide their families with an even better quality of life than women who choose to stay at home. Working mothers have the opportunity to provide their families with financial stability, providing their families with the opportunities and luxuries that they would not have been able to provide if they stayed home.

Another trend that has changed the working mother landscape is the rise of the working father. Today, more and more fathers are working than ever before. This has led to a greater understanding of the importance of men in the workplace. When both parents work, the family is able to live a better lifestyle than if one parent stayed at home.

It was previously common for women to continue working after becoming moms. Today, more women work during their pregnancies and after their children are born.

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Working mothers’ statistics 

The statistics on working mothers are interesting. In 2017, mothers who worked full-time were employed in almost half (48%) of all jobs. This is an increase from just 26% of all jobs held by working mothers in 2000. Today, more than one in five women (22%) work full-time while raising their children.

Statistics on working mothers also show that women are the primary breadwinners in a growing number of families. In 2017, women were the primary breadwinners in nearly half (47%) of all families with children. This is an increase from just 13% of families in 1970. Today, in nearly one-quarter (23%) of families, women are the primary breadwinners.

Half of U.S. families report difficulty finding child care, according to a survey by the Center for American Progress. One-in-five working parents say they have turned down a promotion because of work and parenting responsibilities.

The percentage of moms who were working while caring for their children at home fell by 22 percent between April 2019 and April 2020. The amount of time that parents spent on child care more than doubled, and women were responsible for the majority of it. People without college degrees quit their jobs at a rate that is twice as high as college graduates, and this is true for both women and men.

In the year 2020, over one-third of all working moms in the United States were employed in some capacity. The challenges that millions of working moms confront every day cannot be ignored or downplayed by their places of employment.

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How does a working mother affect a child?

Parenting is never easy, and being a working parent adds another layer of complexity to the already frustrating experience. The stress, time constraints, and constant juggling act have an impact on the parents and children, and have led some to question the value of having a parent at home. However, the reality is that being a working parent has many benefits for children, including better educational outcomes, increased social development, and a better sense of self-worth. The best way to understand the impact of a working mother on a child is to look at the research, which has shown that the benefits of a working parent far outweigh the drawbacks.

When a mother works, it often impacts the lives of the people closest to her: children. The amount of time a mother has to dedicate to her children, and the quality of her time with them, are both affected by her work schedule. Working moms sometimes have less time to spend with their children, and their jobs can have an effect on the way their children are brought up as well as the education they get. DeLancy Geddes, director of the Parenting in Technology Program at Harvard University, says that parents have to balance child care/support and work. 

When a working mother finds the time to provide the best care for her children, her children often benefit greatly. Parents who are able to focus on their children rather than their careers tend to have better relationships with their children, which leads to better education and behavior. Their children also tend to have better relationships with their parents, which in turn leads to better grades and behavior at school. Most of the time, working mothers are able to provide the best care for their children.

Examining the research that has been done on the subject is one of the most effective methods to gain an understanding of the effect that having a mother who is employed has on a kid. Children whose moms worked when they were young had greater levels of social development and self-esteem than children whose mothers didn't work, according to a study that was conducted in 2011 and published in the journal Child Development. 

In a study in 2012 and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that children who had mothers who worked when they were young had superior academic performance.(USS study). Children whose moms worked when they were young had better levels of success and higher levels of schooling than children whose mothers didn't work, according to a study that was conducted in 2016 and published in the journal Human Development and Family Studies.

The research on the impact of working mother on children has found that the impact is overwhelmingly positive. Working mothers are able to provide their children with more education, which leads to better educational outcomes. A working mother may have more time to spend with her children and can dedicate more time to their education, which can help improve their grades. Working mothers also tend to have more money than stay-at-home mothers, which can be used to provide their children with a better education.

If women are required to work long hours or are subjected to stress as a result of their professions, it is possible that the quality and quantity of the interactions that mothers have with their children would suffer as a result. The Growing Up in Scotland research began in 2005/2006 and tracked 2,200 youngsters up until the time that they were around five years old. At the age of five, the children were evaluated on their capacity to reason by having them name items that were depicted in a pictorial booklet.

 The maturation of a child's cognitive and linguistic capabilities may be significantly influenced by both the individual features of the child and the environmental circumstances that the child is subjected to throughout their formative years. If women keep their jobs for a longer amount of time, there may be an influence of a mother's employment on children's cognitive development and growth in language, but this is only likely to happen if mothers keep their jobs for a longer period of time.

Part-time working moms are healthier and happier than stay-at-home moms, study finds. Researchers analyzed National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Study data. These findings were reported in the Journal of Family Psychology published by the APA in its December edition. According to the findings of the research, "in every instance where there were substantial differences in mother well-being, the comparison supported part-time work." According to the findings of this study, working women are equally as active in their child's education as stay-at-home mothers are. It would indicate that mothers who work part time are more responsive to the needs of their pre-school children.

Many different opinions exist on working mothers. Some people believe working mothers are bad for children's development, while others believe that working mothers are the best for children. Still others believe that working mothers are fine as long as they don't overwork or underparent. As is the case with most topics, the truth may be found somewhere in the middle.

Memory Nguwi is an Occupational Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, & Managing Consultant- Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm.Email:mnguwi@ipcconsultants.com or visit our websites https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/ and www.ipcconsultants.com