Positive Effects of Working Mothers - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), April, 2000

Mothers who are full-time homemakers are more likely to use either an authoritarian or a permissive parenting style than those who are employed full time, according to psychologist Lois W. Hoffman, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, co-author of Mothers at Work: Effects on Children's Well-Being. Working mothers are more likely to use an authoritative approach that relies on reason, rather than assertions of parental power, and encourage both girls and boys to be independent.

In contrast with full-time homemakers, employed mothers differentiate less between sons and daughters in their discipline style and in their goals for their children, Hoffman found in a study of 369 families. "Across social class, working mothers are more likely than full-time homemakers to value independence for their daughters."

In addition to differences in discipline styles between stay-at-home mothers and those who worked full time outside the home, Hoffman and Lise Youngblade, a psychologist at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, found that working moms are more affectionate with their offspring than those who don't have full-time jobs. Both the children and the mothers reported more maternal hugs, kisses, and verbal expressions of affection.

"We also found that the husbands of working mothers helped out more with child care and household tasks," Hoffman notes. "And one of the effects of a father's increased involvement is that daughters do better on achievement tests, have less stereotypical attitudes about the competencies of men vs. women, and have a greater sense of personal effectiveness." Moreover, offspring of working mothers had higher scores on standardized achievement tests in reading, math, and science.

Having a full-time job isn't just good for the children, Hoffman maintains. In working-class families, working mothers were less depressed and their morale was higher than that of stay-at-home counterparts. "They feel a sense of empowerment. If they're earning money, they feel that disaster is less likely to hit them."