Do Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom? Here’s What the Experts Say

Nowadays, over 70% of mothers work outside of the home.

Many women, especially single moms, have to work to afford to raise a family – but many mothers out there simply choose to work.

The uprise of working moms begs the question: Is having a working mom good for children?

A huge struggle moms have with returning to work is the mom guilt over leaving their children for the day.

Luckily, many studies prove that working moms’ children do not suffer because their mothers work. In fact, it seems that they thrive!

So, to help answer that question, let’s look at what the experts have to say:

Children Do Benefit From Having Working Moms!

It’s true! Here are some studies that demonstrate the benefits children experience when they have working moms:

Working Moms Tend to Focus on Better Quality Time

According to a 2014 study by Amy Hsin and Christina Felfe, mothers who work trade the amount of time they spend with their children for more quality time.

They found that working moms still have time to engage in activities that positively influence their child’s development and focus more on “structured” time together where parent and child engage and interact with each other.

This has been shown to improve a child’s cognitive development.

Daughters Raised By Working Moms Are More Likely to Have a High Paying Job as an Adult

A 2018 study published in Work, Employment and Society indicates that daughters raised by working moms are more likely to have jobs as adults – particularly jobs where they supervise others and earn a higher income.

The study found that these results were due to the employed mothers’ attitude toward equal gender opportunities and life skills for managing others and responsibilities.

Children of Working Moms Tend to Have Higher Grade Points at School

In a study conducted in Denmark, researchers explored whether or not a mom’s employment status impacted their child’s academic performance.

They found that when mothers worked part-time (10-19 hours per week), their children scored better academically than moms who worked full-time or not at all.

A paper in Psychological Bulletin also explored this idea by analyzing 69 studies that took place over the span of 50 years. They looked at the relationship between maternal employment and academic performance.

This analysis revealed that early maternal employment demonstrated positive outcomes such as increased academic achievement and decreased behavior problems.

When it came to single mother households, they concluded that the decrease in behavioral issues occurs because working moms provide financial security and model achievement and responsible behavior.

Working Moms Are Good Role Models For Their Kids

Being a working mom is a great way to positively influence your children.

When it comes to gender roles, girls will learn that they can be what they want to be, and boys will learn that household chores aren’t a gendered responsibility.

Overall, it will help teach your children how to create a healthy work-life balance when it comes to juggling responsibilities.

Children of Working Moms Grow Up to Become More Independent

Children or working moms learn how to be more independent and mature more quickly than other children. They start handling household tasks on their own from a younger age.

Not that children should shoulder immense responsibility because their mom works, but having more responsibilities than children with stay-at-home moms means that they will be better equipped to live independently as adults.

Moms: How to Balance Work and Life

Of course, you can’t expect your children to benefit if you can’t establish a work-life balance!

Here are some tips to ensure that your employment status is truly benefitting your little ones:

  • Let go of the mom guilt. Seriously, stop feeling bad for working! You are not abandoning your child, and you should admire your employment status, not feel ashamed of it.
  • Schedule your life but don’t get caught up in the details. Organizing your life using a schedule or planner will make it easier to ensure quality time for your kids while everything gets done. Just don’t stress about scheduling everything down to the minute.
  • Don’t be afraid to use time-saving hacks. There’s nothing wrong with multi-tasking if you do it right! Order your groceries online, or run errands during your lunch break – whatever you can do to free up some time!
  • Schedule meaningful family activities such as ice cream dates, movie nights, and evening walks. Be sure to prioritize activities that help you feel connected as a family!

Children of Working Mothers Are Doing Just Fine!

Thankfully, many studies have shown that children of working moms are doing just fine and may even be thriving in this environment!

Of course, it’s important that, as a mom, you find a work-life balance that allows you to spend quality time with your kids while modeling essential life skills your child will need later in life.

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