The Effect of a Working Mother on Toddlers

Choosing whether or not to return to work after a child is born is one of the most difficult decisions a mother must make. Studies regarding the effect of a working mother on toddlers have generally found that a working mother does not cause any significant negative effects on her child's development, although there are several variables that must be considered when evaluating the benefit of a mother's employment.

  1. Gender of the Child

    • Dr. Lois Wladis Hoffman, professor emerita in the department of psychology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, reports that the number of children age 3 and under with working mothers rose from 41.2 percent in 1975 to 65.5 percent in 1995. When looking at the effects of this increase in toddlers with working mothers, Dr. Hoffman found that the greatest benefit was to young girls. Girls with mothers who worked outside the home were found to be more independent and scored higher on various socio-emotional adjustment measures. As young adults, they were found to have higher levels of academic achievement as well as greater levels of occupational commitment.

    Number of Parents in the Home

    • Science Daily describes a research study by the Economic and Social Research Council, the largest organization in the UK studying economic and social issues, that looked at the effect of working parents on the development of children under age 5. Dr. Anne McMunn, the principal researcher in the study, concludes that the ideal scenario for a child under the age of 5 is to be in a home in which there are two parents who both work. Her research found that most of the difficulties young children had occurred in homes with single working mothers and were likely related to the stress caused by the lack of a second adult to help with household management and child rearing. In a two-parent home, Dr. McMunn's research found that children benefited from the extra income a working mother provided as well as the emotional support of having a mother who was less likely to suffer from depression.

    Quality of Child Care Options

    • In a WebMD article by Denise Mann, social psychologist and author Susan Newman says that the quality of care a child receives has more of an impact on development than who is providing the care. She states that toddlers who have reliable, nurturing caregivers suffer no negative effects associated with having a mother who works outside the home. However, it should be noted that high-quality child care is expensive and difficult to find in many parts of the country.

    Part-Time vs. Full-Time Employment

    • Research suggests that a mother should consider working only part time during her child's toddler years, If possible. The "Daily Mail" reports that the Institute for Social and Economic Research, a UK-based organization looking at the interaction between economics and social policy, found that children of full-time working mothers in two-parent homes had significantly lower levels of later educational achievement compared to their peers with mothers who did not work outside the home. Toddlers with mothers who worked only part time, however, showed only a slight decrease in later academic achievement and no other evidence of harm.

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