The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the number of working women with children at 70 percent. $475 billion is the amount working mothers contribute as a whole to U.S. household incomes. Twenty-six million jobs would become vacant overnight if all mothers stopped working tomorrow.
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The U.S. Census Bureau found that between 1961 and 1965, 35 percent of mothers worked until a month or less before their birth date. Now, that number is up to 80 percent. Also, in the 1960s about 14 percent of mothers returned to work after six months. Now, 55 percent do.
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According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, there are over 10 million firms in the U.S. that are at least 50 percent female-owned. Women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate over $2.5 trillion in sales. An estimated 6.9 million women are both entrepreneurs as well as mothers.
Thirty-two percent of working moms say they spend less than three hours a day with their kids.
According to a recent survey of 1,124 women employed full-time with children under the age of 18 living at home, 44 percent of working mothers say they would take a pay cut if it meant they could spend more time with their kids. Nearly one in ten say they would give up 10 percent or more of their salary.
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Of working mothers who are not the sole financial provider, nearly half say they would leave their job if their spouse made enough money for the family to live comfortably.
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According to one large-scale study of women with young children, researchers found that working mothers spent just two fewer hours with their children on weekdays than nonemployed mothers did. Working mothers cut back on socializing, household chores, and leisure activities to devote most of their off-duty time to their children. And on weekend days, employed mothers spent half an hour more with their children than nonemployed mothers spent with theirs.
Finding quality childcare is a major factor. Mothers reevaluate arrangements many times.
There are over 52 million working parents in the United States. A recent report finds that both men and women are less productive at work due to concerns about what their children are doing in the after-school hours. Based on census data, this can affect one-third of the labor force.
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Parental concern about after-school time contributes to worker stress that costs businesses between $50 billion and $300 billion annually in lost job productivity. Concerns are exacerbated for parents who have more responsibility for childcare in the household, who work longer hours, and whose children are older (grades 6-12) or spend more time unsupervised.
Nearly four in ten working mothers say their companies offer flexible work arrangements.
Full-time working mothers are often no longer the rule but the exception, as the number of part-time working mothers is skyrocketing as corporations offer non-traditional opportunities.
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According to Stanley Greenspan, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School, to reach their full potential, babies and preschoolers need time and a close, lasting relationship with adults who know them well.
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Schedule dates and special activities with each of your children. Write business and family obligations on one calendar. This will lessen your chances of forgetting a personal commitment when you are planning work activities.
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When you get home from work, change your clothes at once to signal the end of the workday. Find a family hobby. Reserve your free time for your kids. Talk, ask questions, and read together. Spend 30 minutes a day playing whatever the child chooses.
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When you go on vacation or take a day off, leave your work behind. If you focus on family time, you will go back to work refreshed and will deliver a better product.
Sources Cited: U.S. Census Bureau, Better Health & Living, Parenthood, Small Business, Revolution Health, Catalyst, Career Builder, Charlotte Parent, and Washington and Shady Grove Adventist Hospitals. The Health Tip of the Week is for educational purposes only. For additional information, consult your physician. Please feel free to copy and distribute this health resource.