Friday, July 30, 2010

Working Mothers Still Need to Feel Guilty



The Washington Post attempts to becalm womens' fears about working as they disseminate their propaganda about the alleged viability of working women. After going on for a few paragraphs citing a 115-page study about how working motherhood doesn't impede child development, the article contradicts itself toward the end:

[Washington Post] The study, "First-Year Maternal Employment and Child Development in the First 7 Years," reaffirms the now-established point that women who work full time in the first year of motherhood risk mild developmental harm to their children. Part-time employment has no negative effect, nor does it matter whether a mother works full time after the first year.

The reason may be that a mother with a full-time job cannot provide an infant "the kinds of intensive interaction that babies require," needs that diminish in the toddler years, Brooks-Gunn said. High-quality child care, too, is hard to find for an infant. She and co-author Jane Waldfogel experienced those issues firsthand, having both worked full time with infant children. They wrote the paper with researcher Wen-Jui Han.


Link to Washington Post Article...

No comments: