According to data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, 59% of women now work or are actively seeking employment. An even higher percentage of women with children ages 17 or younger (66%) work either full or part-time. Among those working mothers, most (74%) work full time while 26% work part-time.
The percentage of women working or actively seeking employment grew steadily from the 1950s onward, peaking in 2000. As an overall share of the labour force, women today comprise 47%.
Women at work now compete with men as well. As women work as most men in the workplace. Working mums tend to strike a balance between working at work and at home. These two forces have been a struggle for attention from every mother.
Having a balance between the two giant forces as a working mum should not be a problem or something that makes one of the two factors suffer.
Balance is about doing the best of each at every given time. Allotting time to family and work helps and produces better results in the end, both for the family and work as a career.
The stage in a woman’s life as a career mother determines what is needed most. Especially the stage of the child. A child at an early stage in school needs more time from the mother. When compared to an independent child that is up to the age of 17.
Here are 10 ideas on managing work and the role of a mother.
1. Separate work from home.
As a working mother, when you are at work, face the full activities and once you finish at work put on a new robe and let go of work. Release yourself and let in the fresh air. This will help to leave all stress at work. When you’re back home, ensure that there is no transfer of aggression from you to the children.
2. Create a flow other than being rigid.
As a mother allocating time for each aspect gives more results. When your children need your attention at any point in time try to switch even for a few minutes. Children need love and work needs rapt attention.
3 Let go of the self-guilt as a mother.
Society believes mothers must always be the only person taking care of the home, while fathers are the breadwinners. This can result in guilt of abandoning the home while working at the same time. The burden of guilt cannot be felt by any other person but “you”, so let go of this guilt and make the best out of these two giants and look at the positive impacts it has on your life and your children’s future.
4. Find a childcare home that is reliable.
As a full-time working mother, getting a reliable childcare centre can help with jumping from work to home at every interval. Getting a trustworthy childcare centre that can adapt to your work pressures will help when the children are growing up. Every mother will have peace of mind when their children are in good hands.
5. Have a daily plan.
When there is a written plan of the daily activities, helps make the family work more smoothly than thought. This will help the parents to know every task to be done at every given time. It makes life well-planned and easier so that nothing suffers. Every aspect of the home is taken care of.
6. Balance the duty between you and your spouse.
Let the duty of childcare be shared between you and your spouse. Don’t carry the burden alone. When you drop the children off at school, let him pick them up. Life seems easier when the two parties involved work in harmony.
Twitter post showing career mothers and their ordeals.
This is a fantastic article. Thank you @_workingmother_ for describing the mental load in such a clear way. It’s no wonder why so many #WomenInMedicine are leaving healthcare. @WIMSummit https://t.co/OgTfyjkL0E pic.twitter.com/RtNGBIjnoH
— Shikha Jain MD, FACP (@ShikhaJainMD) January 24, 2022
Most of the requests needed me in a TV studio by 6-7AM, which is pretty impossible for most working moms, unless they can afford live-in or round-the-clock help. Most daycares and nannies start between 8-9. So immediately, the morning shows were out.
— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) August 21, 2018
7. Involve your children.
Let the children be involved in your activities and house chores. This will make them grow to help you without being forced. Bring them into your activities, unlike choosing to spend your time alone. By doing this you spend more time with the children at home and this helps to create a bond between you and your kids.
8. Schedule your vacation at work.
As a working mother, try to take time off from office duties and spend time with the children. This will help you know about their inadequacies and fix things with ease. It also allows the body system to rest after repeated stress.
Below is a video on Tips on how to manage both work and family life for women.
Video by Mun N me on YouTube.
9. Go on holiday with the family.
Make sure there is time for holidays, where the family can enjoy and leave their daily routine behind. When the family go together for holidays the bond is strengthened and quality time spent together will have an impact on the children and spouses.
10. Spend time with your spouse.
Mothers are significant assets, and every aspect of their life is seeking attention with every little opportunity. Endeavour to have time for light discussions with your spouse, that way he doesn’t feel neglected and the bond will grow stronger. Remember, men require attention as well.
This is a video below by Julie Ellison advising working mums.
Video by TEDx for YouTube.
Below is a radio podcast on how experienced working-class mothers manage their homes.
An interview on how working-class mothers manage their homes by Adewunmi on Spotify.
