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Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms
- May 7th, 2010
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In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the results of CareerBuilder’s annual survey of working mothers, along with a few mom-friendly tips on creating a favorable work/life balance during the “Great Recession.”
By now, most of us have felt the effects of our harsh economy firsthand. Whether you’ve lost a job, found yourself working longer hours to compensate for company layoffs or you simply lie awake at night worrying about the state of the union — somehow we’ve all had our foundations rocked by the ripple effects of the financial implosion.
Unfortunately, the poor economy has impacted more than just the employer/employee relationship, and many families are finding it necessary to alter established roles and lifestyles in light of economic changes. Often at the helm of this reconfiguration are working mothers, attempting to maintain the precarious balance between work and home.
If the CareerBuilder survey makes one thing clear, it’s that today’s working moms just don’t seem to have enough time. Forty three percent of working moms reported spending more than 40 hours a week in the office and nearly one-in-ten have had to take on a second job in the past 12 months — and all this extra time at work has taken a toll on life at home. Of the moms surveyed, 29 percent say they have missed two or more significant events in their children’s lives over the past year and nearly one-in-five say that they spend two hours or less with their kids on workdays.
Mary Delaney, President of Personified, CareerBuilder’s talent consulting division — and a mother of three — says there are ways that working mothers can ease the tension between their personal and professional lives. “While working moms may not be able to spend as much time with their children as they would like, they are making the most of the time they do have and getting creative in work arrangements,” she says.
Below, Delaney offers her road-tested, stress-reducing tips for moms on overload.
Talk to other working mothers – Build a support network of families that are in the same boat as you — that way, you can trade tips on balancing personal and professional commitments. Plus, it helps to know that you’re not alone.
Seek out flexible work arrangements — Working moms can have flexible work arrangements and still prosper professionally. Most working moms with flexible work schedules said it hasn’t negatively impacted their careers. In fact, one-in-five said it has actually helped their careers.
Get organized — Set up a calendar with both business and family commitments to help you avoid double booking. Creating a schedule for chores, homework and family activities will help save time and ease stress.
Take advantage of work perks – Most companies offer a variety of employee perks — like wellness benefits and entertainment discounts — that can help working moms both manage stress and spend quality time with their families. For example, use wellness benefits to try out a yoga class or entertainment discounts to take your family to a museum at a reduced rate.
Put down the BlackBerry – At home, focus on your family. If you have emails to write or work to finish, wait until the kids go to bed.
Schedule some “me time” – If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t effectively take care of others. Put actual time on your calendar for something you enjoy such as going to the gym, getting a manicure, reading, etc.
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About Kaitlin Madden
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder. She spends her time at work thinking and writing about work, and thus views her workday as one big social experiment. Prior to joining CareerBuilder, she was a freelance writer and spent some time working in fashion in New York City. She hates meetings and honors her love of shoes with a large collection under her desk. Kaitlin hails from Connecticut and graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a degree in journalism.
What about working single parents that are fathers? Men do it all to, agreed more women do but i'm a single father who has raised my child alone since my son was 1yr old! Let us celabrate parents day instead?
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- No Cussing At Work: What the [Bleep]? (1,189)
- A few things you should know about minimum wage (1,161)
- Is there a reason you’re late … or is it just an excuse? (1,017)
- Co-workers are strange. Very, very strange. (639)
- Do Accents Make Workers Seem Less Credible? (617)
- One person’s scent is another person’s headache (604)
- Don’t Say That To Your Boss; Say This Instead (560)
- The future’s 15 most wanted workers (558)
- Job seekers most common (and unusual) interview mistakes (444)
- Why whiners don’t win at work (443)
- Where to find a job in a stalling market (431)
- Where Will The Jobs Be This Decade? (366)
- 5 jobs that pay you to play on Facebook (359)
- Today’s Most Dangerous Jobs (356)
- Best and worst states for job seekers (352)
- 25 best-paying jobs for women (344)
- Credit checks on the job hunt: The debate continues (341)
- 8 things that can kill your job chances (335)
- Star Wars or Star Trek? Questions you just might hear in the interview (301)
- Five People to Cozy Up to On The Job (293)
- Do you know how to deal with a work spouse?
- Companies hiring this week
- Is “To whom it may concern” the kiss of death?
- Could your cube mate be your soul mate too?
- 22 companies hiring in large volume
- The find-a-job plan for college seniors
- America at age 24: An education and employment snapshot
- Job-market recovery off to a great start in 2012
- The surefire way to ace your job interview, from Bravo’s ‘The Headhuntress’
- 8 things that can kill your job chances
- 3 Facebook Timeline tips for job seekers
- The best careers for your zodiac sign
- 10 weird excuses workers use when late to work
- 8 of the weirdest work stories from 2011
- How to define your personal brand
- Job seekers most common (and unusual) interview mistakes
- 7 tips for improving email etiquette
- 6 ways the job search has changed post-recession
- 50 jobs that pay $50,000
- 8 job-related smartphone apps
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[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms [...]
[...] Mother’s Day Survey: The Effect of a Tough Economy on Working Moms In honor of Mother’s Day, The Work Buzz presents the… [...]
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