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Working Moms Under Pressure

I’ve held off on blogging lately–I’m working, looking for new clients, networking, promoting my book. Getting my feet wet with media interviews.

This headline on today.com jumped out at me: “Moms are bearing the brunt of recession, study shows.” I just did an interview the other day with AdvisorOne and spoke about how working moms are feeling the pressure from their roles of breadwinner and caregiver. It’s this pressure on moms nationwide–and the economic downturn–that motivated me to write my non-fiction book.

I mentioned to AdvisorOne that many women were working with reduced salaries.

On average moms lost $175 per week more than dads, according to the new study that analyzed four sets of data from the Displaced Workers Supplement.

This 2010 survey included nearly 4,400 displaced workers who took an average of 17 weeks to find a new job. When the researchers broke down the data according to marital and parental status, they discovered that moms experienced a “motherhood penalty” while fathers got a “daddy bonus.”

Employers will choose a dad over a mom because they fear that moms won’t be as available or committed to the job, said study co-author Michelle Moroto, an assistant professor in the sociology department at the University of Alberta.

Moreto’s advice? For women who fear they might be in danger of suffering from the motherhood penalty when seeking work, don’t volunteer anything about your family in job applications and interviews.

I could not agree more with Moreto. Going forward, I will not be mentioning to prospects I have two young kids. In today’s economy, it’s a strike against you.

Do you think there is a “motherhood penalty”?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

My Book

When I started writing this book, my daughters were ages three and one–challenging ages to say the least. I set out to talk to other moms who were struggling with the work-life balance as well as national experts who could offer solutions.

Mastering the Mommy Track is not a memoir, and I don’t share overly personal information about my family. I was fortunate to have no shortage of working moms who were willing to share their challenges during this down economy. My working mom contributors honestly shared their struggles and concerns. My expert contributors offered unique advice and knowledge. They helped me make this book a reality.

Research indicated no competitive books in this area, so I delved into it. I asked myself, “What are the 12 trigger areas that cause working mothers anxiety today?” These became my chapters. This was based on my personal experience, research, and feedback from friends and acquaintances.

I slotted the chapters into four core sections: (1) Home issues. (2) Health issues. (3) Parenting issues. And finally, (4) Work-Life issues. Then I arranged them so that the most fundamental issues came first: Mental health, communication, finances, and romance. These apply both to moms in committed relationships and those who are single.

I hope career moms across the US and UK will read Mastering the Mommy Track and take away insight that will help them improve all aspects of their lives–both personal and work related. It is a juggling act to balance home and work duties, and for a lot of women in 2012, it’s a walk on a tightrope–a fear their families will never experience the rewards (vacation, travel, time off) they so rightfully deserve.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Economic Recovery Slow

Many families across the country are still struggling to make ends meet, and parents are often too afraid to speak publicly about it. The middle class is facing poverty and many are fighting to survive. Our generation is very different than the one we were raised in. Your or your neighbors may be discussing unheard of topics now–food stamps and Medicaid, groceries from food pantries, and dwindling bank accounts and 401K’s.

A 2011 study by the Brookings Institute revealed that for the first time in U.S. history there were more poor people living in the suburbs than in cities. Based on the most recent United States Census data, the research showed that 15.4 million suburban residents lived below the poverty line last year, up 11.5 percent from the year before, and  that “by 2010, suburbs were home to one-third of the nation’s poor population—outranking cities (27.5 percent), small metro areas (20.5 percent), and non-metropolitan communities (18.7 percent).”

I started to envision my book, Mastering the Mommy Track, in early 2011. Every mother with a career understands the tension between raising children in a positive environment and putting in the time on a career.

I read a touching story in the Philadelphia Inquirer last January. Donna Oxford, a 53-year-old grandmother, was laid off in December 2007. She had worked for an e-commerce company. In 2008, she adopted her grandson to keep him out of the foster care system. In January 2011, she was still unemployed–36 months and counting. She wrote a moving poem, titled, “Today I Lost a Tooth.” It recalls her state of poverty, lack of medical and dental insurance, and so forth.

I read this in a local Starbucks with my two daughters, and I was moved to tears by her story. Millions of mothers–single and married–have found themselves in unfortunate situations today, concerned about how they will support their children. I wrote this book to address these unprecedented obstacles women were facing. We are used to industries shedding workers, and within six months, they would find another job. These times are different and more challenging than what we all had expected.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net