U.S. WORKPLACE DEMANDS UNFAIR PRICE FROM MOTHERS

Mothers & More responds to new Census data

December 21, 2001  The demands of today’s workplace culture leave parents little time for quality family life, yet mothers pay a high economic toll for taking time out of the workforce, says Mothers & More, an international not-for-profit organization supporting sequencing mothers – women who have altered their career paths in order to care for their children at home. 

Newly released Census data examines trends in maternity leave and employment patterns of women who gave birth to their first child between January 1961 and December 1995. The report cites the correlation between improvements in workplace policies and benefits, like paid and unpaid maternity leave, and a woman’s decision to return to the workplace after giving birth.

But while Mothers & More believes that correlation between paid leave benefits and employee retention is strong, employers still have a long way to go.

“We talk about women’s ‘choice’ about whether to return to employment after having children, but too often either ‘choice’ exacts a high personal price,” says Mothers & More President Pam Hainlin. “A mother can go back to a demanding work schedule that allows very little family time or she can take time away from employment and suffer significant long-term economic penalties.” For instance, due to loss of pension benefits and Social Security contributions, women are much more likely than men to face poverty in old age, according to Hainlin.

Women who do de-emphasize careers to emphasize family too often are marginalized, according to Mothers & More.

“Raising children is as much a contribution to the economy as is working for pay,” says Hainlin. “To raise a child is to build human capital, a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. Yet, society continues to penalize, not recognize, a mother’s contribution.”

As the Census report notes, women’s equal access to education and employment is certainly one of the most significant social and economic developments of the last 25 years.

Mothers & More seeks to create an equal level of respect and recognition for women’s social and economic value as caregivers.

Mothers & More has 180 chapters across the U.S., supporting women by nurturing their personal needs and interests during their active parenting years and by advocating for public and employment policies that accommodate sequencing.

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