Working mothers are faced with the need to balance work and family. Often, working mothers experience problems both at work and at home. The husbands and children of working women often have difficulties in adjusting to the situation. Working mothers are also faced with the problems of obtaining adequate day-care for their younger children. Many experts agree that day-care is an important aspect in the life of the child. In order for a child to be both physically and emotionally healthy, its day-care facilities must provide a safe and positive environment. Researchers have noted that employees are less effective on the job if they are worried about their children. Therefore, Ellen Galinsky of the Families and Work Institute has claimed that "an employee may not be an effective worker if he or she is worried about child care" (White, 1991, p. D4). This shows that organizations can benefit by providing their employees with good child care facilities. If an organization cannot directly provide day-care, it should at least be able to refer employees to adequate facilities in the area.
Working mothers must also deal with the issue of pregnancy leave from their jobs. The Supreme Court has ruled that the jobs of pregnant women must be held until they return from having their babies (Will you be penalized, 1989, p. 106). Nevertheless, a problem has developed for working mothers in recent years which is known as the "mommy track." The "mommy track" occurs whenever a working mother is forced to take less pay or is denied a promotion (Brown, 1989, p. 24). Such actions are based on the logic that a working mother cannot possibly devote as much time to her career as she must devote to her family. Thus, the existence of a "mommy track" in a given organization suggests that "only women willing to set aside family considerations [can] be singled out for the fast lane to the executive suite" (Castro, 1989, p. 72). This is obviously u...