Week 10- Working Mothers

So last week, before we left for thanksgiving break, we talked about the effect that working mothers have on the family and society. I found it interesting that upon deeper reflection, even the positives that the book found for the children of working mothers were not in actuality positives but signs of a problematic home life.

For example, the book states that all things being equal (things like a higher income overall for families with stay at home moms, individual temperaments of children, etc.) four year old children of working moms showed less hyperactivity, more prosocial activity, and less anxiety of the children of nonworking moms. These may sound like good things at first glance, but if you know anything about the development of children,  these are actually bad things.

First, four year olds should be hyperactive, it is a good thing, and at that stage in their development, they need to be, it helps with their development both physical and cognitive.

Second, the fact that those children are more prosocial, may be an indication that they are seeking to form attachments to others as they might not have a warm loving relationship with their parents, since both parents would understandably be exhausted after a long work day, and having to come home and get all the chores and meals done. These parents might not have time to be patient and loving to their children, who are more than likely wound up since mommy and daddy are finally home. So, for the child to develop healthily, they need to form attachments to others.

Third, less anxiety is also not necessarily a good thing. If a child is used to being left by mom or dad, they might take that as a norm. Children need structure, they thrive on it, so when they become passive about changes, it can be a warning sign.

Basically, working moms aren't good for the family or society. You can work around this if you have a flexible work from home schedule, but, overall, it isn't very good for a healthy family environment.