As women, we’re not surprised by the constant clamor around the topic of women having it all. Sure moms want a harmonious home life with happy and successful children, but in today’s world, they also want the glamorous and high-powered careers they have dreamed of since they were in grade school. After all, these are no longer the days of June Cleaver and Donna Reed. Right?
On second thought, maybe not. Amidst all of the often one-sided reporting about mothers either neglecting their kids to pursue a career or, if they’re lucky, managing to balance work and family flawlessly (much to the dismay of their stay-at-home mom neighbors or career-obsessed coworkers), a recent national poll showed many moms singing a different tune.
The poll was conducted by BabyCenter, and, while it was made available only to BabyCenter users, the results were still somewhat different than some recent stories may have predicted. If money was not a consideration, only 3% of responding moms and moms-to-be said they would work in an office full-time, while 43% said they would opt to stay home full-time rather than working part-time – even from home.
But is it really surprising? Some experts might think so, but others, watching the trend of new parents trying to rearrange their lifestyles to make more time for their children, might have seen this coming all along. An article I came across tied these poll results to the 2005 New York Times article regarding Yale women who, like many other women at first-rate colleges, already planned on giving up their future successful careers when it came time to raise their children.
These types of stories are quite telling. Clearly many mothers, who have gained great strides outside of the home, are now showing their need to be available to their kids. And not just on weekends or after 5. So whether moms truly want to have it all or choose to forgo the perks of a career for the perks of being at home full-time, it’s nice to know that children always come first on their list of priorities. June Cleaver would be proud.
Image: Steel White Table
Comments