You might not know that children of working moms often outperform their peers academically and professionally. When you see a mother balancing her career and family, it’s not just an impressive feat; it’s a powerful lesson for her kids. They learn time management, perseverance, and adaptability firsthand, which sets them up for future success.
Are you curious about how these skills translate into better school performance and work ethic?
Read all the specific ways working moms give their kids this invaluable head start in life.
The Surprising Advantages Kids Gain When Mom Works
The number of working women with small children under age 5 in the U.S. is at an all-time high, with the labor force participation rate jumping to over 70% in 2023.
While working mothers face unique challenges, recent research has uncovered some unexpected benefits for their children.
Benefits for Children
For Daughters?
A 2022 study by Harvard Business School found that daughters of working mothers earn approximately 23 percent more over their lifetimes compared to daughters of stay-at-home mothers.
Daughters of working mothers are also more educated and more likely to be employed at higher levels.
For Sons?
Adult sons of working mothers spend about 50 minutes more caring for family members each week than men whose moms didn’t work.
This is likely due to employed mothers conveying egalitarian gender attitudes and life skills for managing work and family responsibilities simultaneously.
Interesting quote:
“There is no single policy or practice that can eliminate gender gaps at work and at home. But being raised by a working mother appears to come very close to that. Women raised by a working mother do better in the workplace, and men raised by a working mother contribute more at home,” McGinn said.
Harvard Business School
A meta-analysis of 69 studies over five decades found that early maternal employment was associated with beneficial child outcomes when families were at risk due to poverty.
In those families, children of working mothers showed higher levels of achievement and lower levels of internalizing behaviors like anxiety.
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Factors Contributing to Success
Mothers who worked full-time tended to use higher-quality substitute childcare and showed higher levels of sensitivity to their children.
- The researchers speculate this might stem from the higher levels of family income and learning opportunities provided by employment.
Part-time, or full-time until age 1?
Children whose mothers worked part-time before age 1 had fewer disruptive behavioral problems than those who worked full-time. Part-time work was associated with increases in the quality of the home environment.
Full-time maternal employment that began before the child was three months old was associated with significantly more behavior problems.
Children of mothers who worked full-time in the first year also received modestly lower cognitive scores.
The finding that full-time mothers are at times at greater risk for depression should not be taken lightly. Researchers have found that infants are clearly impacted by their mother’s depression.
Infants of parents with depression have been found to have difficulties with self-quieting, lower activity levels and decreased ability to attend.
Orthodox Union
Challenges and Solutions
Working mothers face significant challenges, with almost three-quarters (74%) bearing the mental load of family life compared to 48% of working fathers.
31% of working mothers are concerned about burnout compared to 19% of fathers. (Read source)
How can Employers Help?
- Employers can help by offering on-site and subsidized childcare, which three in ten working mothers say makes it far easier for them to be physically present at work.
- Back-up care to fill gaps when regular arrangements fall through is also crucial.
- Providing paid family leave, flexible schedules, and a “flexible first” mindset can enable working mothers to thrive.
- Tailoring benefits to each employee’s specific needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, is key to achieving equity.
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Conclusion
While working mothers face significant challenges, the research shows their children gain important advantages.
Daughters of working mothers are more successful, while sons learn to be more involved fathers themselves.
With the right support from employers and society, working mothers can provide their children with amazing head start in life.