Working Mothers

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 work

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D1). Some of these initiatives provide medical leave for women during and after childbirth. Other policies are designed to insure that adequate day-care is provided for working mothers. Such policies are important because working mothers usually make good employees. Because of this, companies can benefit by adapting to the unique needs of working mothers. Furthermore, it is more efficient and less costly to retain women with families than it is to hire and train new employees from scratch. Working mothers often need to have flexible work schedules in order to balance their careers with their families. Particularly when the family includes pre-schoolers, there is a need for "a flexible schedule to accommodate the children's needs" (Bodin & Mitelman, 1983, p. 39). Thus, in order to maintain efficiency, an organization must implement plans which allow working mothers to serve both the company and the family at the same time. For example, an organization can implement part-time scheduling for working mothers. Dusky (1989) has warned that part-time work is not a suitable solution to the problem if the work is boring or demeaning. However, successful results can be found among part-time employees who are regarded as contrib

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