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The kids are all right: Mother's work status not associated with children鈥檚 achievement or behavior, study finds

The kids are all right
鈥淲e still have a long way to go in communicating ... that there are no great costs - or huge benefits - to maternal employment,鈥 says UCI researcher Wendy Goldberg, professor of psychology & social behavior and education. Credit: Michelle S. Kim / University Communications

(糖心视频Org.com) -- Working moms can stop feeling guilty: Research shows that children of women who return to work before their offspring turn 3 are no more likely to act out or fail at school than kids whose mothers are full time homemakers.

The findings, published in the American Psychological Association鈥檚 Psychological Bulletin, stem from 50 years of data on maternal employment and academic performance. UC Irvine鈥檚 Wendy Goldberg and JoAnn Prause conducted the analysis along with Rachel Lucas-Thompson of Macalester College, in Minnesota.

However, the outlook isn鈥檛 entirely rosy for offspring of career-minded moms, specifically those who work full time during the first year of a child鈥檚 life.锘

鈥淲e observed slight increases in problem behaviors, such as acting out, among children whose mothers were employed full time during their first year,鈥 says Goldberg, professor of psychology & social behavior and education.

Kids in financially secure families may not see as many advantages when mom works full time, but maternal employment can make a big difference in the lives of low-income youngsters.

鈥淐hildren from poor families, such as those receiving public assistance, showed more benefits from having a working mother than did children in higher-income families because the boost in take-home pay could lead to more nutritious food, better housing, more books and other enrichment opportunities,鈥 Goldberg says.

Mothers who work also serve as positive role models for their , says Prause, senior lecturer in psychology & social behavior. 鈥淚f an employed mom receives a promotion or praise at her job or feels satisfied with a job well done and comes home feeling energetic and positive, that could have a spillover effect on her kids,鈥 she says.
Researchers analyzed data from 69 studies conducted between 1960 and 2010 that measured early maternal employment status in relation to children鈥檚 test scores, grades, intelligence-test results and teacher ratings of their cognitive abilities. They also looked at studies that assessed behavioral problems, including anxiety, withdrawal and aggression. Some of the reviewed studies contrasted full time and part time work, and some were longitudinal, following families for several years after the mothers returned to work, even into the kids鈥 teen years.

鈥淚f you look at the big picture, the effects of maternal employment per se are small,鈥 Goldberg says. 鈥淏ehavior and academic achievement are not determined solely by a mom鈥檚 work status but are related to many things: genetics, neighborhoods, quality of schools.鈥

Early maternal employment raises issues of a child鈥檚 separation from its mother during formative years and the necessity for alternative care arrangements. The researchers note that all families might benefit from improved parental leave policies allowing mothers and fathers to stay home with infants longer without losing job security or income.

Prause and Goldberg hope their research helps dispel oft-repeated and widely believed myths about working motherhood.

Goldberg points to her recent work-and-family survey of about 1,000 UCI undergraduates. The students perceived more costs than benefits with maternal employment, citing its impact on a child鈥檚 ability to succeed academically and thrive emotionally. The study, coauthored with psychology & social behavior graduate students, is forthcoming in the Journal of Social Issues.

The responses were nearly identical to those of undergrads surveyed in the early 1980s by Goldberg and colleagues at UCI, including Professor Emerita Ellen Greenberger.

鈥淲e still have a long way to go in communicating to the generation now entering adulthood that there are no great costs to maternal employment,鈥 Goldberg says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 surprising to see how traditional they are in their views.鈥

Citation: The kids are all right: Mother's work status not associated with children鈥檚 achievement or behavior, study finds (2011, April 6) retrieved 4 July 2025 from /news/2011-04-kids-mother-status-childrens-behavior.html
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