Working Moms Learning to Juggle Jobs and Family

Most working moms report feeling empowered and supported by their spouses, but at the workplace they’re not feeling as fulfilled. According to a new national survey from Care.com, eight out of ten working moms enjoy being a working parent. In fact, six in ten want to move higher in their profession and most feel that’s possible if they continue to work hard.

Working out of the home seems to benefit both sides of the equation for most moms. Four out of ten working moms feel that working makes them more creative as a parent. At the same time they feel that being a parent makes them a better worker. Nearly a third feel they are more motivated to take on new roles since becoming a parent and roughly the same amount feel they are more productive than they were before children. The vast majority feel that their spouse supports their career goals and 64% don’t feel the demands of their job interfere with their ability to be a good parent.

But despite all of those positive feelings, there is one area where moms feel less supported. Nearly three out of four companies that hire working moms do not offer child care benefits. Just 6% offer on-site child care and only 4% subsidize child care. “I’m inspired to learn from this Care.com survey that eight out of 10 working moms enjoy what they do, most love being a great role model for their children and many feel more creative and motivated as a working-parent and even feel they add a better perspective at their jobs now that they are moms,” said Katie Bugbee, Managing Editor of Care.com in a news release. “This survey makes it clear that much still needs to be done in the workplace to support them in motherhood. Women now hold more than half of the entry-level jobs at American blue-chip companies.”