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Strollerderby
Working Moms Want To Stay Home
According to a survey taken by the Pew Research Center, almost two-thirds of working mothers would rather work part-time than full-time. Fathers, on the other hand, overwhelmingly — almost four out of five — prefer to work full time. Even putting the Monday morning “I-don’-wanna-go-work” feeling aside, these statistics surprise me in that I would expect far more parents would want to cut back on their work schedule in favor of spending time with their kids.
Personally, if we could afford it, I would jump at the chance to work part-time or even stop working altogether to be able to spend more time helping out at the kids’ school, taking them to the playground, and generally watching them grow up. Eight hours a day (plus commuting!) is just too much of their little lives to be missing out on. Apparently, I am in the minority, at least among men. But even just a third of working moms wanting to keep working full-time seems high to me.
I mean, I get the desire to continue one’s career (but then why have kids at all?) and that sometimes one needs a break from the kids (but isn’t that why you get to know other parents and schedule playdates?) but aren’t kids more important than all that? Not that I’m saying there’s anything wrong with being a working parent, mind you, but given the chance to be a stay-at-home parent, I just don’t understand why someone wouldn’t jump at the chance. I know I would.
Photo: Uncle Roger
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7 Comments
[...] survey estimates a working parent’s salary for their “mom duties” is around $71,860. You’d have to tack on their [...]
Stay-at-Home-Moms Worth $118,000 | Strollerderby commented on May 07 10 at 1:29 pmKim Cotton commented on Dec 01 09 at 2:57 pmI’m not surprised. I recently had a discussion with my mother who claimed she had to convince my dad to take a vacation every year cause he was completely unprepared for dealing with four kids for more than a couple hours a day. Knowing my siblings, I can’t say I blame him.
Picklepetunia commented on Dec 01 09 at 3:07 pmI would do anythingto see my kids grow and spend more time with them. Like you I work long hours and at times it feels like I see them wake up and go to bed… in between I pay someone else to enjoy them.
I wouldl ove to do something from home or work part time.
they grow to fast and I want to be part of it.
gregor commented on Dec 01 09 at 5:21 pmWhat trite.
carefree childhood commented on Dec 01 09 at 8:37 pmI worked part-time for a couple of years. I found it much much harder than either working full-time or being home full-time. I felt like I was trying to shove two lives into one life. Now I am working full-time and I feel I have much more flexibility. When I was working part-time I could never have taken the day off to go on a field trip with my kid’s class because it would put me too far behind at work. Now it is no problem.
cyn-diego commented on Dec 02 09 at 1:20 am“Why have kids at all?” if you want a career?! Maybe because healthy adults of both genders need love, family, AND fulfilling work in their lives. And unfortunately, there are few “careers” worthy of the name that allow a 5+ year hiatus and smooth re-entry once the kids are in school all day. And I think men are smart enough to realize that part-time “careers” often end up being just crappy part-time jobs.
GiGi commented on Dec 02 09 at 11:23 amDads know its easier to love them for a few hours a day than deal with them all day long. I remember working full time in an office. Lots of web surfing. Lots of 2 hour sushi lunches. Lots of “meetings”…those was the days!
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