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| No more motherguilt | ||||
| Children of working mums do better in school | ||||
 If you're struggling being at work while your babies are in child care then read on. YOU ARE DOING A GOOD THING.Yes, it's official; if you're a working mum and you're punishing yourself with motherguilt, then stop, because recent research has come to the conclusion that children of working mothers do better in school than those of stay at home mums. The Effect of Maternal Employment on Children's Academic Performance, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research was conducted by a team of policy analysts and economists from the US and Denmark who tracked 135,000 Danish children from birth until the age of 15. The analysts examined the association between a child's "grade point average" in year 9 and his or her mother's work patterns during the first three years of the child's life, and separately during the first 15 years of the child's life. The huge sample size made it possible to take many variables into account and compare children who were otherwise similar except for the employment status of their mothers. Because the survey sample was so large the researchers were able to control some of the natural variables that affect children's educational outcomes. According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, after an exhaustive analysis, the research team, led by Professor Rachel Dunifon from the US's Cornell University, concluded "maternal employment has a positive effect on children's academic performance", even for those whose mothers worked during the first three years of life. And if you're a part-time worker then you are definitely onto a good thing in terms of both balance of your own life and the results that balance will bring later on for your kids, because the survey revealed that the best performers had mothers who were part-time employees. The grades for a child whose mother worked between 10 and 19 hours a week when they were aged under four years of age had grades that were on average 2.6 per cent higher when they reached year 9 than an "otherwise similar" child whose mother did not work at all. Clearly there are lots of potential reasons for these results: For those working mums who are in a relationship, then a dual income family is more than likely going to be able to assist any children who are falling behind with tutors or coaching to help improve their grades. They are more likely to have the resources to take part in additional, extra curricular activities that develop their minds and enrich their education. But the lead analyst in the study, Professor Dunifon also noted that higher grades achieved by teenagers with working mothers could be the result of "improved mental well-being" among the mothers who work. Many studies over the years have shown that women who work have a higher sense of self-esteem and confidence due to maintaining their own careers and on a practical level due to the financial security and independence that working brings. Given this study was done in Denmark, a country that invests heavily in supporting working families and is the home of high quality, easy access and low cost child care, it's not so hard to conclude that the support that mums get in order to be back at work has a huge amount to do with the increased well being of families, particularly now that most families are dual income out of necessity rather than choice. Being a stay at home mum out of choice is also hugely rewarding of course and there are many pros and cons to both working and staying at home, but if you're a mum who needs to work, then support is key to overall happiness, stress levels and ultimately the happiness of the rest of the family. So it's more important than ever to really get a grip on our child care system and what and how it delivers affordable, accessible and relevant child care to today's working families. Support for working mothers paramount and it has to come both from the government, from employers, from colleagues and family and friends. |
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