New research from the Harvard Business School has found that kids who grew up with working mothers are doing just fine.
Actually, generally speaking, they’re doing better than those who grew up with a stay-at-home mom.
According to data collected from two-dozen countries, daughters of working mothers are more likely to be employed, hold supervisory positions, and earn more money than the daughters of women who don’t work outside the home.
When it comes to the guys, the researchers found that those who grew up with working women were statistically more likely to spend time caring for family members and doing household chores than the sons of stay-at-home mothers. In other words, they’re the type you want to marry.
Daughters of employed mothers are 4.5 per cent more likely to be employed themselves than are the daughters of stay-at-home mothers. The researchers point to the fact that while the number may seem small, it’s statistically significant. The likelihood of the result being by chance – just 1 per cent.
The effects on labor market outcomes are non-significant for men.
Researchers also found that 33 per cent of daughters of working mothers held supervisory roles, compared to only 25 per cent of daughters of stay-at-home moms. This was found even after the researchers controlled for gender issues. Furthermore, the income of daughters of working mothers in the US was $5,200 higher than that of daughters of stay-at-home moms.
According to researchers, the effects of working mothers were most prevalent in countries within the study as “stagnating moderates,” whereby the respondents typically held the same moderate view about gender issues and egalitarianism over a 10-year time period. Such countries included the US and the UK.
So, if you have kids on your mind, you don’t have to feel as guilty if a stay-at-home parent is not in your future child’s cards. And if you’re in the market for a husband, find out whether his mom worked before your first date ends.
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