Good news for working mothers who worry about the future of their children and feel guilty that they can not spend as much time taking care of their children as non-working mothers. Children of working mothers are more likely to get a job with greater responsibility and earn more money than the children of non-working mothers. That is the result of a recent Harvard University study which examined representative samples of men and women from 24 developed countries in the Americas, Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the Czech Republic.
""There are very few things, that we know of, that have such a clear effect on gender inequality as being raised by a working mother,"," says Kathleen L. McGinn, author of the study entitled Mums the Word!.
Her research analyzed data from 2002 and 2012 from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), which is the largest continuous research program in the world, focused on people's attitudes and values. The main question was: "Did your mother ever work for pay, after you were born and before you were 14?". The research team focused on the impact on children growing up with working mothers in regards to their future job, job responsibilities, earnings, division of household chores and taking care of family members.
Working helps both you and your kids
The fact that children of working mothers are more likely to work themselves than children of non-working mothers was true for both genders, according to the study findings. However, as far as job responsibilities and earnings, daughters of working mothers are more likely to achieve better jobs with higher salaries than sons of working mothers. Men raised by working mothers more often help in the household and spend more time caring for family members than sons of non-working mothers.
Working parents often feel guilty for not spending enough time with their children. However, Kathleen L. McGinn explains: "What this research says to us is that not only are you helping your family economically—and helping yourself professionally and emotionally if you have a job you love—but you're also helping your kids. So I think for both mothers and for fathers, working both inside and outside the home gives your kids a signal that contributions at home and at work are equally valuable, for both men and women."
The entire study is available for download here.
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