Juggling home and family life has a damaging effect on women's health, say mothers.
A survey of 1,500 mothers found that 94% considered the demands of juggling family and work had a negative effect on both their physical and mental health and damaged their career prospects. Only 31% said that the demands of work and family had any impact on dads.
It also found that women felt childless women were more unsympathetic to them than men and used their childlessness as a weapon for career advancement. Some 57% of those surveyed said that men appeared to understand the demands on them better than other women.
The Working Mothers' Report, commissioned by childcare providers The Family Care Company, found that 52% felt it was easier to say they were late for work due to traffic problems or a faulty alarm clock than because of childcare issues.
And 66% of mothers said that asking for flexible working would damage their career prospects. Thirty-six per cent of mothers had been asked about family commitments at interview. One in seven had delayed having children because they didn't think their managers would approve.
Commenting on the research, the Telegraph's columnist Lesley Thomas said that it was her experience that working mothers worked harder than other workers as they were more committed due to financial pressures and were more efficient. She states: "A woman's time-management and multi-tasking skills become turbo-charged the
moment she has children."
Daily Telegraph opinion 20 September 2007
Daily Telegraph news 21 September 2007
Women happier working part-time
Women are happier if they work part-time so they can balance home and work life, a study has found.
Regardless of whether they had family or not, women reported higher levels of job satisfaction if they worked part-time rather than full-time and all working women were happier than housewives. Men were happier in full-time jobs. The study was based on interviews with 3,800 couples for the British Household Panel Survey. According to the Telegraph, 44% of women work part-time compared with 10% of men.
Daily Telegraph 23 September 2007
Bosses not hiring women for fear of maternity pay
One in five male bosses have avoided hiring women because they are worried about changing maternity laws, according to research.
A survey by YouGov of 918 senior managers and directors in the private sector by found that older male bosses are more likely to discriminate against women of child-bearing years than younger ones. Around one in 10 female bosses say they have avoided taking on women because of maternity laws.
Some 63% of executives surveyed by said the new rules on maternity leave posed a "serious threat" to their companies. Since April, statutory maternity pay has increased from six to nine months. Women can also take a year's maternity leave and are entitled to request flexible working when they return to work.
Daily Telegraph 23 September 2007
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