Like clock-work, every few months or so, the issue of "moms working (or not working) outside of the home" surfaces in some way, shape or form. I took out the word "new" before "way, shape or form" because usually the information presented is not "new." Personally, I dislike the way the issue is framed. Whether it's framed as the media-dubbed "mommy wars" or as "WOHM v SAHM" or as a "debate" about whether moms should/could/would work outside of the home, one thing that gets lost in framing the issue is that some women do not have a choice of whether to work or stay home. I have to admit, however, that I've been sitting here for quite a while trying to come up with an acceptable (to me) way of framing the issue, and I have been unsuccessful.
The "working mom" issue now presents itself to us in the form of a poll published by the Pew Research Center. I first heard about the poll as a "teaser" on my local newscast. The newsreader said, "a new poll shows that working mothers prefer to work part-time." To which my response was, "DUH!" But then I decided to take a look at the poll for myself.
The first thing that struck me was that the actual title of the report is: "From 1997 to 2007: Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work." "Hmmm," I immediately thought, "there goes the media, again, slanting the issue and framing it for it's own purpose." While it's true, the results of the poll show that "working mothers prefer to work part-time," there are a number of other aspects of the poll that I find interesting.
One thing that makes this poll interesting to me is that the questions were framed as "what is the ideal situation for you." I wish the issue would be framed this way more often. Most likely, my "ideal" and your "ideal" are going to be completely different. So, all "ideals" being equal, I find it interesting that only 19% of working mothers think that "not working" would be "ideal" for them. Purely based on the working moms I know, I would have been certain that the percentage of working moms who think their "ideal" is to not work outside of the home would have been higher.
A year ago, when I was a full-time working mother, I would have been firmly entrenched in the "not working is my ideal situation" camp. Now that I've gone back to work part-time, I realize that for me, things are better for me and my family when I work outside of the home. Eight months of staying home has made me realize that I do not make a very good full-time stay-at-home mom.
There's more I'd like to say about this poll, I really think this poll lends some insight into why the issue of being a "working mother" can be so divisive. I'm hoping to organize my thoughts for a separate entry.
But before I go, I just wanted to point out that I wish the poll had a place for the work-at-home mom (WAHM). Because for me, working at home (even just one day a week) would be my own personal ideal. (Of course, we're talking ideals here, where the work actually gets done during normal hours.)
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