Work Wednesday 
I promised at the beginning of the summer that I'd write about some lighter topics on this blog. Whether it's the enervating heat or just my need for summertime escapism, I've managed to deliver with posts on lunch, fashion, and food. But now, as the summer starts to slip away, I'm back to the heavier stuff.
Don't worry, though.This one won't make you feel bad. In fact, if you, like me, are a working mom with a daughter, it might make you feel good.
Last week, researchers at the University College London published findings from a cohort study of nearly 19,000 U.K. families showing that young children with two working parents are no more likely to have behavioral or emotional issues (such as aggression, tantrums, unhappiness, and worry) at age five than peers with stay-at-home moms. You can read about the study, which was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health last week and reported on here, here, and here. (Yes, the British press occasionally writes about something other than the Murdoch media empire's riveting hacking scandal.)
Although other studies have come to the same conclusions as the UCL study, it's always nice to have another piece of solid research to counter negative information about working moms. What I found most compelling, though, is that the study, which controlled for variables like maternal education, maternal depression and household income, revealed some significant gender differences with respect to the effect of a mother's work.
Interestingly, girls from two-parent families with working mothers were more well-adjusted, at age five, than girls in households where the father was the sole breadwinner. Girls with mothers who did not work outside the home were twice as likely to display behavioral problems.
By contrast, boys thrived equally in dual-working parent homes and in two-parent "traditional" families in which their mothers stayed at home. Sadly, in families where the mother was the sole breadwinner, boys were more likely to shows signs of aggression or unhappiness, although once the results were adjusted for income, education and depression, the detrimental impact on boys disappeared. Put simply, these boys' problems appear to stem more from other economic and social factors than their mothers' employment status.
The gender distinctions fascinate me. The study's lead author, Dr. Anne McMunn, has called for more research on the differential effects of mothers' employment on boys and girls. She has also speculated that the difference in the findings for girls might have "to do with these mothers acting as a role model for their daugthers. . . ."
While I think it's really too early to know how what type of role model effects these mothers' jobs will have on their daughters, I do think that there's a strong likelihood that a mother's employment status will influence her daughter's choices about family and career in the long term. Who knows, though, which way it will go?
Will my daughter view me as a postive role model and choose to combine family and career like I have? Or will her up front view of my life lead her down a different path whether it be a fast-track career or stay-at-home motherhood. Only time will tell. (Maybe she'll even have some different choices!) For now, the UCL study provides me with some assurance that my career might actually be good for my daughter (and, at the least, a wash for my son).
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P.S. A quick postscript acknowledging that theUCL study, like all studies, has its limitations. One potential drawback is that the information used by the researchers was based on questionnaires answered by parents, raising the possiblity that working moms might have skewed their answers in response to perceived negative views. That, at least, is what the Economist's blogger suggested, not me! I'm not sure why working moms would be more likely to embellish their responses than other moms given societal pressures on all parents, especially moms. I do note, though, that the researchers plan to include the views of teachers when they analyze the data for the kids at age seven. So, stay tuned for the next installment!
Another nice post, Stacy. Interesting observations here about the impact on sons with moms as sole breadwinners, and the behavioral problems of girls with moms who do not work outside the home. Of course, with respect to girls, I wonder if sexism is an issue. Are little boys similarly aggressive and their behavior is merely written off as "boys behaving like boys"? Anyway, your post is great for the internal debate women often have over whether they should work or stay home with their kids. If I may plug my own piece, I just posted something today on this site about what life is like as a stay-at-home mom. I hope readers will find it more fodder for that debate.
Posted by: Rogue Housewife | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 09:35 AM