Differences in parent-child quality time and labour outcomes.
14-12-2009
PARENTS HAVE TO BE BALANCERS
Staying home the first three years of your
childs life, as my previous blog suggested you should do, isnt that easy. Is
it even possible nowadays? You also shouldnt go working again immediately
after your child is born. You have to find a solution somewhere in between, the
perfect work-life balance. In the bookstore you can find tons of books about
parenting and how to do it right, but this is one I find interesting, doable
and realistic. It advises you to use the time you have with your children and
make it into quality time, turn the daily and normal activities with your child
into learning exercises. For example, you can do a word puzzle/game with your
children while you are driving them to school.
A rather pessimistic study by Christopher J.
Rhum says there is a negative influence on the verbal, reading and mathematical
skills of a child if its mother works during the first three years of its life.
Specifically, 3 to 4-year-olds have less verbal abilities and 5 to 6-year-olds
have more problems with mathematics and reading than children whose mother
didnt work during their first three years of life. I wonder is it then acceptable for a mother to start working again after her 3 weeks required maternity leave?
The pattern
of a classical family has undergone a few changes the last decades. The working
husband became the new man and the wife who cooks and cleans now follows the
new mommy track. This is the recently created word for mothers who found a
creative way to combine work and family. This creative way usually means
working less (part-time), using the newest media, like telecommuting, or making
sure you have flexible hours (start up your own business, work as a
freelancer). Having children isnt the same anymore as having to drop off your professional horizon. Nowadays women are more independent and can be a "money maker" in a family.
(Putting the link on a word didn't succeed. I don't know what's the reason, others have done it before but now it doesn't work anymore. My sincere apologies.)
Being a woman is nowadays no longer an excuse that you can or cannot do something. Saichon Submakudom, who has already received more than 20 awards for her job performances, sets the example by winning the women leadership award. More impressive, she combines her work perfectly with her two children. Seems like a perfect work-life balance, which according to Saichon Submakudom can be relied to two things she thought her boys herself, namely self-responsibility and accountability. On the question whether she thinks shes successful or not, she answers: If you are passionate about whatever you are up to, you are already a winner. A boost for every working mom!
Key findings of new research by the University of Bristol may be quite shocking. It reveals some important differences in education level between boys and girls, but only if dad is in charge. Boys and girls would not receive the same degree of mental stimulation as given by the mother. Especially boys would be marked by their dads education, which only holds monitoring them and telling them what they can and cannot do. More specific, his upraising lacks some creative activities that develop a childs intellectual skills. Strange enough this is only the case for boys; girls appear to be immune for parenting differences. Maybe we are after all the stronger sex?
Should working moms feel guiltier towards their children? With women making up nearly 50 percent of the workforce, the amount of quality time is reduced to the minimum. Even a home-cooked meal can be referred to something of the past. Surprisingly, a survey held by the Families and Work Institute points out that children do not care that much whether or not parents work or stay at home full-time or at part-time basis. Only ten to fifteen percent of teenagers wish to spend more time with mom or dad. The only things they really want are parents who are able to participate in things, instead of transforming into couch potatoes after work.
The choice: having children or not having children???
A lot of women dont see the connection between children and a career. You cant make a career when you are only 3 or 4 days at the office. On the other hand, having no children can also be damaging for your career. More and more employers think that women, who dont want to have children, are cold and insensitive. However, when you are young and searching for a job, some employers fear that youre going to be pregnant after a few years. Therefore, having children or not having children is both bad for your career.
Child becomes a "spoilt brat", due to quality time
People always mention the advantages of spending some quality time with your children, but it also has a negative side. Here we look at parents who want to be perfect at practising their job and at raising their children, but this is a very dangerous combination. Working fathers and mothers want to exercise the parenthood very intensive in the scarce time they have with their children. This means, however, that parents exert an unnecessary pressure on their offspring, that the children grow up with less fantasy and that they are only satisfied if they get the undivided attention. Children become spoilt brats.
There are different ways to combine a career and the upbringing of your own children. You can practise a job shared by two employees, but this requires a lot of tuning and consultation. The easier solution is than to work part-time. On the other hand, you can prefer to work at home, despite, flexibility and discipline are two necessary qualities for a home worker. Even though, a lot of women like to set in again after they took care of their children for a certain period. However, you should hold your professional knowledge up to the mark and sometimes be willing to retrain yourself.
The number of people who take their kids to the day nursery still increases. This is due to the fact that there are more and more double-income couples.
For people with lower incomes, it is cheaper to take their kids to the day nursery. However, we can see that in comparison with the richer families, they take their children less to the day nursery and make an appeal to informal daycare.
Companies see that their employees are struggling to find a place for their child in the day nursery and this is bad for the labour outcomes. Therefore many enterprises start their own day nursery during the holidays.
Differences in parent-child quality time and labour outcomes.
