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I was also offended by the 55-year-old teacher's comments. For one, they were illiterate and so I hope you are never the teacher of my child. They're not there. For two, I am a single mother of 3. Working is a must in order for my children to have food, clothing, shelter, and the many wonderful bonding experiences we have been able to have. The ignorance in the statement about stay at home mom's loving their children more was almost more than I could stomach. I work because I love my children. They are smart, funny, above average-testing little people. They are amazing and they don't doubt my love for them for a second.

I was really offended by the comment of the 55yrs old teacher. As we all know not every working mother is not staying home because money is more important than their children. Oh how I wish, financially I could be a stay home mom. I wonder if the 55yrs old teacher had children herself and if she was financially blessed enough to stay home with them. Being a teacher myself, I see children with different backgrounds and similar attitudes and behaviors (good and not so good).

"Having a Working Mother is Good for You" assumes that earring more is good for us. Though it is true that higher salaries has its advantages for women, I question the emotional health of these children. I wonder if a balance between working and staying home were studied, what would those results show?
If mothers stayed home with their children and then went to work, would this have a healthier impact on the daughters and sons? What if a mother stayed home for at least the first three years of her child's life to offer the child all the advantages of a stable home environment and then the mother pursued her career outside the home, would this balance produce a healthier child who is not only emotionally secure from being in a home environment during the early years but also financially secure in life because the child has seen her mother working outside the home? I think we miss the mark when we look at research and not question the words. We look at one aspect and assume that it is the best and we never look beyond it for a better outcome.

Interesting report - but very superficial. I chose to forego my professional career and stay home with my children, with my husband as the main breadwinner. Both children are wonderful and very different - each following their passions - my son is an undergraduate studying a joint degree in architecture and design and my daughter is successfully juggling both her academic and ballet commitments at a performing arts high school. The only advantage that I could see my working friends had was that they could afford private tuition to improve their children's academic results, which I suspect is the REAL outcome of the report's findings.

I cannot believe the harsh response to mothers that choose to work it is not all about money and for that teacher to say that children from stay at home mums are more loved is absolutely unbelievable- what a rude narrow minded person. I love my child more than anything on this earth and she is my number one priority. I would be very disturbed if my child was in this judgemental persons classroom. I think it is a personal choice based on a lot of different circumstances and we all just do the best we can with what we have, being a working mum is tough as is being a stay at home mum. We should respect peoples decisions and not judge one another - parenting is hard enough as it is!

I was a Mom who worked outside the home, an early childhood teacher for 30+ years, and am now a consultant providing support to ECE teachers when children have difficulties in the classroom. Anonymous must live in a privileged place where women don't need to earn money. There truly is often not another choice. The economic system in the is country make it very hard for most women to stay at home, even if they wanted to.And I had hoped that this particular discussion wouldn't need to be had over and over again. Good parents are good for kids--no matter their employment situation or any other status we can think of. Women who work outside of home can be great role models for kids, just as women who stay at home can be. Let's put this fight to bed and, as others have commented, support each woman's choices. If you truly feel mothers should stay at home, work for a more just system to support that, as they have in almost every other industrialized country in the world.

In response to the remarks from the "55 year old teacher," I must say that as an educator and working mother, I am saddened and disturbed by your remarks about working mothers. To reduce this to simply "choosing money over love" indicated your very poor understanding of the complexities of this issue as well as moralistic judgements that are both hateful and untrue. There are many reasons that mother's work and there is no research which indicates that children are universally harmed by it. Your suggestion that working mothers are not making their children a priority, that their children are not loved and that "the world is screwed up because of it" is, to say the least, absurd.

My mother went to work to help support our family. My mother didn't go to college but education was important in my home. I had parents who loved me and consistently supported me. I went on to graduate from college and when I graduated and was first married I was the one who could get a job. My husband was from another country and it took over a year to get permission for him to work. Even after he was able to work he had a low paying jobs and I continued to work. I have 6 beautiful girls who are amazing, responsible, compassionate, determined individuals. One is a teacher, 3 are studying to be nurses, 1 is studying to be an occupational therapist, 1 is planning to study architecture. I would loved to have stayed home with them and totally enjoyed our summers off, but I also wanted them to have the basics of life. I don't believe that it is a matter of having a working mother or a non-working mother. It is a matter of striving to be the best parent you can be regardless of circumstances.

What may work for one family may not work for another. If you are able to be a stay at home mother or father and that works for your family, that's great. However, I know plenty of wonderful and loving families that 1) cannot afford to do so or 2) don't want to. To assume that one family style is the "right fit" for everyone is an antiquated thought that does take into account the individualism and diversity of families.

I was so upset when I read the comment from Anonymous saying I loved my children less because I had to work. When my husband was working his pay was barely enough to pay our rent. If I did not work we would have had no food on the table, electricity, or water. Several years ago he became permanently disabled making the need for me to work even greater. My children are always my number one priority and to accuse any working mother otherwise is just small minded and cruel. This is not someone who should be working with children as I would worry that she would teach her warped values to the children in her care.

We parents stress out so much over every decision we make regarding our children. We need to do what is right for our family but there are so many variables to consider. The answer is not found in one study. Studies can be easily biased in their structure and in their interpretations. How do you define successfully raising a child? By income and education? By employment stability? By marital/emotional/relationship stability? Even by asking those questions, I put forth my personal biases! Moms - make your decision and then be happy with it. My personal bias? Moms who find happiness and joy in their lives make great moms!

I have not read all the comments but I would like to comment on the 55 year old teacher's comment. There are many mothers out there in our country who would give anything to stay home with their children but are unable to do so due to financial reasons. I am a single mother and I went back to work when my son was 3 weeks old because I had to. I went back to college and received my 4 year degree and still continued to work several different jobs and still take care and love my baby. Yes, it was tough and not the most desirable for me as I know I missed out on a lot of my sons "first" years of growth and those fun toddler advances-but he knew how loved he was and he was a straight " A" student all through school and graduated with honors from College. He also knows what a "dollar" is.

I wish we, as women, would stop beating each other up and get off the issue of working mom vs. stay at home mom. We are our worst enemies. Many women choose to work for various reasons while many others need to work. Many women choose to stay home to care for their children while others would love to have the opportunity. Children from either upbringing have become successful adults and conversely children from either upbringing have not.
Raising children is the greatest gift we are given and the most important job we will ever have. I feel the disconnect has come in children being viewed as a commodity vs. a human being. As a nation we must put children first and support families in this most difficult job. This may be in the form of parental leave for those who have the ability to stay home with their young child or in the form of high quality care for those who either can't or choose not to be a stay at home parent.
Please, please, please let's make it about the children and less about ourselves.

Wow! I was scared reading those comments. A teacher accusing working Moms of not loving their children if they work and stay at home Moms feeling threated by the article. It was a good article refuting the long held beliefs of many that working Moms harm kids. So, whatever kind of Mom you are - a working Mom supporting your family or a stay home Mom- what counts is the love and support you give your children. So, don't feel guilty either way as long as you do your best for your children. I have worked at a large Nursery School for 38 years- 28 as the Executive Director. We can tell the parents who need help with parenting skills (kids don't come with a manual) and I have never found the stay at home or not staying at home issue to be a large part of our meetings with these families.

Thank you so much for revisiting this issue. I was a stay at home mom, and I appreciated the encouraging comments of the readers.

In response to the anonymous comment made on the e-newsletter: I am a SINGLE mother who has her TODDLER SON as a her NUMBER ONE priority. SINCE he is my number one priority, I must be a WORKING MOTHER so that I can afford a roof over his head and food for his stomach. Does that make me a disappointment to you? If so, that is sad and I will pray for you.

Sometimes a mom who planned or wanted to stay home couldn't. Perhaps her husband died unexpectedly and then family circumstances changed and the mom had to work. Some moms are resilient and are able to carry on, some moms may be more fragile and unable to carry on. I think we cannot make a blanket statement about whether a child comes from a home with a single working parent or a home with 2 parents, one of which stays home does better in class. Each child needs to feel they are the most wonderful child and have a loving relationship with that adult. Sometimes that adult is a classroom teacher. If you work with children, ask yourself if you think each child in your setting is wonderful and special in some way? If you don't see it, time to work elsewhere! Children deserve better!

Sometimes a mom who planned or wanted to stay home couldn't. Perhaps her husband died unexpectedly and then family circumstances changed and the mom had to work. Some moms are resilient and are able to carry on, some moms may be more fragile and unable to carry on. I think we cannot make a blanket statement about whether a child comes from a home with a single working parent or a home with 2 parents, one of which stays home does better in class. Each child needs to feel they are the most wonderful child and have a loving relationship with that adult. Sometimes that adult is a classroom teacher. If you work with children, ask yourself if you think each child in your setting is wonderful and special in some way? If you don't see it, time to work elsewhere! Children deserve better!

I feel the need to respond to the comment posted by the 55 year teaching veteran, whom chose to be "Anonymous." When I read, "Simply put (they) are more loved and it shows," my blood started to boil. How can a person state that a stay at home mother loves her children more than a working mother! I am infuriated by this comment. It is no wonder she chose to go anonymous. I would NEVER place my very much loved children of a full time working mother in her care!

I also was a stay at home Mom until my youngest was in third grade and do believe that "research" like this can be very skewed by what was not in the mix. What type of childcare was used during the first 5 years? I feel as "anonymous" did that it the combined effort of loving parents that is the predictor of how successful a child will become. If a child has spent their first 5 years in a substandard child care facility it can be off set by the parents or not. Often time it is not, because those parents are working to survive and often times don't have anything "left over" for the kids at the end of the day. Both my children are successful and happy in their chosen careers. The are productive members of society, and in the long run isn't that what counts?

"The research is based on data from the International Social Survey Programme's Gender and Attitude Survey of 2002 and 2012. (For more information, see: http://www.gesis.org/en/issp/issp-modules-profiles/family-and-changing-gender-roles/)."

I tried to get in here, but the link would not open for me.

I want to know how Dr. McGinn fully defines “working mother” and I want to know how she defines “fulfilling careers.” The linked article talks about supervisory positions and incomes, so I surmise that the study focused on a goal of higher-powered, higher income jobs--jobs that most likely require higher education. This, in turn, would allow for better care for children by someone other than Mother or Father.

Some specific things I’d like to know after reading this excerpt (and excerpts and generalizations can be VERY misleading): When does the mother work? How does the mother work? Where does the mother work? Does the mother have adequate maternity leave when her child is a baby? What is a “stay-at-home” mother? Are these single mothers?

"The research is based on data from the International Social Survey Programme's Gender and Attitude Survey of 2002 and 2012. (For more information, see: http://www.gesis.org/en/issp/issp-modules-profiles/family-and-changing-gender-roles/)."

I tried to get in here, but the link would not open for me.

I want to know how Dr. McGinn fully defines “working mother” and I want to know how she defines “fulfilling careers.” The linked article talks about supervisory positions and incomes, so I surmise that the study focused on higher-powered, higher income jobs that most likely require higher education. This, in turn, would allow for better care for children by someone other than Mother or Father.

Some specific things I’d like to know after reading this excerpt (and excerpts and generalizing can be VERY misleading): When does the mother work? How does the mother work? Where does the mother work? Does the mother have adequate maternity leave when her child is a baby? What is a “stay-at-home” mother?

RE Lori's statement: There are always exceptions when statistical differences are found. Statistical findings are based on probability-- group differences do not predict any one case. Statistics is not like calculus or physics where something can be disproved by finding one exception. The fact that her daughters have good jobs doesn't negate the fact that there were significant differences in income when the two groups of daughters were compared.

RE Anonymous' statement: "Simply put [they[ are more loved and it shows" -- How offensive, to assume that anyone can know how much love is in someone else's heart.

So it is all about the money? Shame on you! You go by one study done by working women. I am 55 years old and have been teaching my whole life. I am here to tell you I will take a child of an at home mom anyday day over the one that mothers work. Simply put there are more loved and it shows. I can tell within the first week of school which children have a mother that has made them a priority and which ones choose money over their own children. No wonder this world is so screwed up because of thinking like this, where material things are more important then a human life. Try looking up the studies that show women aren't working to put food on the table, they are working for the 2000 square foot home, cruises, getting their nails done, join health clubs, being able to buy a SUV etc. These are hardly necessities.

Adult daughters who had working mothers earn more and have more powerful positions, ... BUT how are their social/emotional relationships within the family they create and their peer group. I'd love to see more if this too was studied!

Thanks to all of you at EED for insights into so many interesting topics!

When referring to lower earning rates of daughters of stay at home moms, we must consider that maybe the next generation of mothers was putting the priority of raising a family first and seeking flexible jobs or opportunities that would fit into their home life vs a job solely based on income.

In response to the article: "Impact of Working Mothers" January 7, 2016
I totally agree with Joyce, Pat, and Lori who commented already. And would like to add that we need to put our money where our priorities are...clearly no one could deny that our children are our highest priority...most important resource....most precious commodity....when will the care takers and teachers be compensated accordingly for the responsibility that is inherent with their positions?
We as a society certainly do measure our success by how much money we make, but we sure haven't figured out how to pay the people with the most important job (raising the kids!) the most money.

This excerpt is very misleading. Not having read the whole article, it is impossible to conclude that these daughters are doing better socially. Only financial information is presented, which is a far cry from the whole person doing well..

I sometimes wonder in these articles when we simply compare incomes if we ever look at what type of jobs/careers these women want. Income and status isn't the only way to look at success.
We should be especially sensitive to that since those of us in Early Childhood Education are in a lot of low wage positions.

I was a stay-at-home mom, I did not feel as though I was denied an opportunity to work outside of the home. To me, being home with my children, and having the ability to do so financially because of my husband's employment, was an absolute blessing. My adult daughters have attained undergraduate and graduate degrees and have good jobs--they seem no worse for wear for having a stay-at-home mom. What I think is important is having two parents who together work to raise the children, value education and value family.