Kids benefit from having a working mom Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to research by Kathleen McGinn and colleagues. They also found that: "... men whose moms ever worked outside the home, they were more likely to contribute to household chores and spent more time caring for family members. "Growing up, what was being modeled for sons was the idea that you share the work at home," McGinn says. McGinn is a Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Please share any thoughts you have on this. . .
I don't know how far d first part holds true.. Reg women with working mothers more likely to have jobs themselves, probably yes!! The reason being wen u see ur mother working u grow up in an environment where u consider working n contributing to d family as normal and mentally b prep to work after studying. Unless ones have been affected by mothers professional lives n suffered personally due to lack of quality time with her, I think a girl wud b influenced by a working mother to work herself and b independent. Reg, the second part, I have personally experienced this. My husband and my male cousins who had Stay at home moms, grew up with a different upbringing, where d mothers overdo things for their kids, like serving food for dem esp hot dosas (walking all d way from kitchen for each n every dosa) while they sit in front of d idiotbox.. This s just an eg.. I have seen these kids grow up without realising how much effort their moms put into making life easier for dem and little realise datdat, it's not d rule, but rathan an act of love that they r deserving all such spl treatment. And after marriage, these guys fail to realize it n expect d same from their wives. On the other hand, most of working mothers, make their kids realise that time back home is limited and hence everybody s help is needed to run home smoothly. This article s not just another article to b brushed off. Both sets of mothers, whether working or shm shud realise d responsibility of motivating their girl kids to b educated and financially independent and simultaneously teach their boys that there s no shame in sharing domestic works and shud not bring their misplaced ego here
Wait for a study from the opposite camp to come out ! I think it has less to do with WOHM and SAHM, and more with the mindset of the parents to teach their boys and girls about pitching in and sharing responsibilites. Sample size of one: my mom never worked outside the home, but my parents were adamant that my brother and I help equally in chores at home. My grandma would complain when my brother cleared the table saying it a girls job meaning me of course . Now my brother helps his working wife out very well. My DH is the product of a career mom. She treated him like a precious gem, and we still argue about his lack of participation in housework. My solution is to throw his money at it wherever I can !
There is no "should feel" about any guilt! Guilt is involuntary. Working moms are known to feel guilty, and express that guilt. Parenting by itself is fraught with lots of second-guessing. I thought the article was simply an effort to reduce the guilt working moms feel, if they feel, not saying they should feel. 3 bags of salt should be enough damper for thread. Why the active effort to dampen discussion when OP is trying hard to Dandi march the thread in the opposite direction?
I was thinking that for India the comparison is going to be tough to do. Because in previous generations, women working after kids was less common. If a woman capable of working stayed home, it was also due to pressure from husband, in-laws. Now, a woman staying home, is also more of a 'parenting' decision. Hmmmm.. I have seen that most Indian guys, living abroad, do pitch in, and while cribbing will always be there, the family chugs along, with the guys acting up only when their mom/dad are around. That is a laudable goal, but more than that, the onus lies on men and women to pick a life-partner whose opinions are similar regarding man-woman chores distribution, working woman etc. A guy who puts his feet up after a long day of work, and a woman who is happy to be home and take care of the house... not unheard of, and if it works for them, great.
