Abstract
This paper covers the various ways working women manage themselves and look after their children simultaneously. It describes how working mothers handle their personal and professional lives, the impacts of such a routine on the family, especially on children’s development. When a mother is pregnant or raising toddlers, it is not possible for a lot of them to quit their jobs. In particular, the breadwinners who need to provide for their family find it extremely difficult to leave their jobs just like that. This article will demonstrate how the children get affected, both positively and negatively, when they are raised by working mothers. The contemporary world is far more competitive and developed. Therefore, organizations and do not mind hiring mothers. Thus, this paper seeks to cover literature concerning the full-time and part-time working mothers and how their professional lives impact the development of their children In addition, the paper would also present various assumptions people have about working women.
Introduction
In the modern era, there are innumerable working mothers throughout the world who manage their families and careers simultaneously. In the previous times, mothers could not think of working outside until their infant turned at least six months old. In contrast, mothers today work either full-time or part-time depending on their circumstances. The statistics demonstrate that over 75% women work and take care of their children at the same time (Pryor and Huggins, 2010). Some working mothers are single whereas some have to work forcefully either due to the incapability of their husbands to provide for the family or to support the family along with their husbands. It needs to be understood that such situations have both positive and negative effects on the mother, children, and the relationship between them. In most organizations, the management thinks that parents are more competent workers as they are able to multitask and resolve issues more effectively. It must be noted here that there are a lot of fathers who render their responsibilities as single parent and work to provide for their children. Even though it is not a usual situation, it cannot be neglected that single fathers also act as mothers to their children, especially if the mother is dead or separated.
Literature Review
Many people hold different assumptions concerning working women and how their professional lives deeply impact their children. Some people think that most women like to work to remain independent even if their husbands have higher salaries. Such women are self-centered and egocentric. However, they also like to earn and provide for their family. It is no secret that the people in the present times regard working women as superior, especially if they are involved in a profession that is typically chosen by men such as engineering (Pryor & Huggins, 2010). Therefore, women who work in a challenging field and manage their homes at the same time are considered extremely strong and competent. It is widely acknowledged that if the working of a woman does not affect the development of the child, it is not an issue. The provision of the basic needs of an infant, finding out time to spend with the child for feeding, playing, etc. and to maintain a parent-child bonding, are the fundamentals if a mother wants to continue her career. It is also assumed that women who work during pregnancy and/or after delivery do so due to their background or circumstances. There are many women who work outside because they were not taken care of during their childhood. Such childhood experiences allow women to endure all the difficulties and work so that their children do not have to experience the same miseries and negative emotions (Dimitrijevic, 2013).
Another assumption concerning the working women is that they want everything in their life and the lack of life’s luxuries makes them join a profession. It is assumed that women work because a sole source of income is not adequate to fulfill their needs or the needs of the family. A lot of mothers, as stated, work because they do not want their children to grow up in difficult financial conditions. Today, good clothes and good education have become a luxury. Therefore, mothers work to provide nice clothes, great food, and quality education to their children. It is considered that the infants of such working mothers get used to of the routine of their mother at some point. Many teenagers start to understand the reason of the routine of their mother while growing up. Their mature minds let them realize the factors of ‘being left behind’. Most of these assumptions have helped the working mothers today (Ashford, 2015).
Working mothers may inflict a lot of positive impacts on their own personalities as well as on the development of their infants. To begin with, working parents are a great role model for their children and their exemplary attitude allows their children to develop positive characteristics. During 80s and even before that, women were known as domestic servants who were required to impart their duties within the walls of their homes. However, times have changed. The women of this century are managing their domestic lives as well as professional lives with absolute brilliance (Pryor & Huggins, 2010). Second, children who see their mothers working get to learn that women are also capable of joining professions and contributing to the society’s welfare. When a child grows knowing that a woman can also join professional careers, he/she is able to revere and cherish women. Working mothers are, in fact, a role model for their children.
As mentioned, the women today are effectively managing their homes and professions. There is, however, a need to understand the difference between a single mother and an independent woman. All single mothers are independent; but all independent women are not single mothers. In the same connection, a single mother who works and takes care of her family is able of raise a child to be independent (Dimitrijevic, 2013). On the other hand, a mother who works for more than eight hours to bring food to the table without the help of a man is qualified to be called an independent woman. Most of the single mothers who have to support their children without the aid of their father or anyone else are surely independent. The children brought up in this kind of environment grow up wanting to be independent, without the help of anyone (Pryor & Huggins, 2010).
It is also evident that working mothers are less prone to depression. It is no secret that responsibilities such as provision of food for one’s children, paying for education, and any other essential needs are reasons that may worry a working parent. In some cases, however, the mothers become too occupies in working that they do not experience any depressive or worrying thought. Their workaholic attitude allows them to stay away from the life’s worries. Thus, it can be said that there is a lot of power in being an independent woman. Working can be extremely motivational for many mothers. It can be correctly stated that if a mother is a hard worker, her children also follow her footsteps (Sigelman & Rider, 2014).
The kids of most of the working mothers are capable of performing well in schools. Their performance in academics and other curriculum activities are frequently sound. The main reason is that the working mothers pay more attention to their kids because they would want them to turn up like them. Finally, working mothers are able to raise a psychologically and physically healthy family due to the help she provides to keep the family members in a good shape (Milne et al., 1986).
In her article, Claire Cain Miller talks about the advantages for the children who are raised by working mothers. According to her, almost three-quarters of American mothers work (Claire, 2015). Back in the day, most people thought that an increase in the percentage of working mothers would not be good for the society. On the other hand, it has now become critical for the betterment of a society to allow mothers to work as it encourages society’s development. The author asserts that the working mothers have economic, educational, and social benefits that their children receive (Claire, 2015). Hoffman, in her article, describes various reasons that make the daughters of the working mothers more likely to follow the footsteps of their mothers with more success in career and commitment (Hoffman, 2011). They are likely to get employed in the future and earn higher incomes. In the present-day society, there are a lot of prominent working mothers who inspire other women as their role models (Claire, 2015).
In this regard, Hilary Clinton is a great example who was not only a working mother but also looked after her daughters. Another example is that of Mrs. LiciaRonzuli, a Parliament member, who used to bring her child to the Parliament so that she could give time to both her child and her job. These examples crystal clearly reveal that one can always take out time for the children. It is important to not consider children as hurdles in the way of professional development and success. In Switzerland, women control the majority seats in the Swiss Cabinet. Most of these women are mothers with children in the best schools (Claire, 2015).
In an article on the mainline website, Steve Doughty discusses the ways working mothers damage their children’s prospects. According to him, mothers who go to work immediately after the birth of their babies are likely to risk their children’s development (Doughty, 2012). The author believes that most of these children tend to perform the worst in school academics, are challenged by unemployment in the future, and also suffer mental stress because of the absence of their mothers during their childhood years. He also thinks that full-time working mothers, especially the ones with demanding jobs, never have enough time for their children (Steve Doughty, 2012). Their children are likely to get bad grades as the mothers are unable to focus on their school work. In many cases, mothers do not have time to attend school meetings to check their children’s performance in school.
In other articles, the authors have discussed the negatives associated with the working mothers’ routine and jobs. First, working parents affect the child’s development by not being there for the infant. The inability to see the parents with them affects children’s growth with more psychological stress. This is the reason some working women who cannot have time for their kids put them in foster care. According to another author, some people think that most children whose mothers are working full time do not perform well in school because they do not get attention from their parents/mother. The children also get depressed or psychologically tortured when their mothers are never around. The damage might get worse because the mothers could not notice the unseen damages due to her tight working schedule. In the previous times, women were considered machines to give birth to children and handle household chores. Nevertheless, the times have changed are not considered domestic slaves in the civilized societies anymore.
On the other hand, part-time working mothers give attention on their kids’ life and school performances (Doughty, 2012). Their children rarely experience psychological stress as compared to the children of parents working full-time. A close evaluation of the development of some children shows that quality pre-school and infant care has a positive impact on children. The future of the children always depends on how their upbringing is done at home. “Charity begins at home” and this must never be forgotten by mothers who devote their time to excel at their workplaces (Doughty, 2012). It is, therefore, excessively important that parents find a balance between their work and their family. Children are more important than work and this need to be realized by the mothers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, working mothers have both positive effects and unfavorable effects on themselves and their children. The above discussion shows how working mothers are playing a positive role in the society by managing their domestic and professional lives. Mothers who sit back, relax, and enjoy the life at home do not have any motivation except bringing up good children. However, working mothers are multitalented with multitasking abilities. There are innumerable women like Hillary Clinton who show the positive side of working women. Similarly, working mothers have a positive impact on their children’s development. The mother not only acts as a role model, but also as a nurturer, well-wisher, leader, provider, and helper. For the same reason, children of working mother tend to develop positive personal characteristics at a tender age.
It is not an untold secret that young minds can be molded into any shape. Their capturing abilities and capabilities of memorizing things allow them to absorb both positives and negatives. In the discussed articles, the authors provide evidence that most daughters grow up to be exactly like their inspiring mothers. Working mothers are less depressed or stressed about other daily issues because of their involvement at home and workplace as well as busy schedules. Therefore, most companies nowadays do not mind employing mothers or having parents work for them. The main reason is that they are hardworking and very competence which is not only good for the organization’s success but also great for the society’s development.
Personally, I think that working women are an asset for the community. Today’s competitiveness requires the contribution of every individual for making the world a better place to live. Women are often considered more hard-working and possessors of positive attitudes as compared to men. This is the reason one can witness the presence of women in every field and profession. Working women have a positive impact on younger people than men. Men are regarded superior to women. Therefore, a superior woman is an eye opener to youth. Working women in the society definitely have the ability to contribute positively in the development of their children as well as the advancement of the society. In fact, being an independent woman even before having children, acts as a drive to work even harder. For that reason, many young people today admire independent women and working mothers.
References
Claire, Miller. (2015, May 16). Mounting Evidence of Advantages for Children of Working Mothers. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/upshot/mounting-evidence-of-some-advantages-for-children-of-working-mothers.html?_r=0
Dimitrijevic. (2013). 13 Struggles Every Mother Just Keeps to Herself. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/13-struggles-your-mother-just-kept-herself.html
Hoffman, L. W. (2011). The Effects of the Mother's Employment on the Family and the Child. (1998). Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Hoffman/Hoffman.html
Kate, Ashford. (2015, June 30). Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kateashford/2015/06/30/working-mother/#7b393845c166
Milne, A. M., Myers, D. E., Rosenthal, A. S., & Ginsburg, A. (1986). Single Parents, Working Mothers, and the Educational Achievement of School Children.Sociology of Education,59(3), 125-139.doi:10.2307/2112335
Pryor, G., & Huggins, K. (2010). Nursing mother, working mother: The essential guide to breastfeeding your baby before and after you return to work. Sydney, N.S.W.: Read How You Want.
Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2014). Life-span human development. Wiley.
Steve, Doughty. (2012). Working mothers risk damaging their child's prospects. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-30342/Working-mothers-risk-damaging-childs-prospects.html
