Mothers, Work and Well-Being

At a recent TEDxBerlin event, social scientist Anke Plagnol explored the priorities of women before becoming a parent, and how these priorities tend to change during motherhood. In the video above, she explores the impact that children have on women, their employment and work-life balance. It’s often a hard decision for many modern women to decide whether to continue working once they become mothers. There tends to be a feeling of guilt for many women; either for leaving their children in the hands of others while they work, or a feeling of guilt that they’re not living up to their career potential – having chosen to stay home with their child(ren).  And in many cases, particularly within the United States, it is more cost effective for one parent to stay home due to childcare costs. Women who want a healthy work life and home life should consider part-time work opportunities. Plagnol reports that in her research, the majority of women in part-time positions report lower work-family conflict. To learn more about her findings, have a look at the video above.