The majority of working mothers and fathers with at least one child under age 18 are having difficulty balancing their work and home lives.
Six in ten working moms said in a new Pew Research Center survey that it’s “very” or “somewhat” difficult to balance their job responsibilities with the responsibilities of their family.
52 percent of working fathers said the same in the survey of 1,807 parents.
Interestingly enough, college graduates--whether men or women--ranked even higher (65 percent) in struggling with the balance, versus 49 percent for non-college graduates.
The resulting message for employers? Work-life balance affects both men and women, said Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Pew Research Center’s associate director of research
“We know that half of all full-time working dads say they have too little time with their kids,” she told the Washington Post. “We also know that parents with kids at home value flexibility in a job and paid leave.”
The message is confirmed by a recent Post/ABC poll that found 54 percent of parents had passed up at least one job opportunity to allow more time to take care of their children, and 51 percent answered yes when asked if they'd ever stopped working or switched to a less challenging job to allow more time to care for their children.
But in terms of career advancement, women are hit harder with children in the picture. 41 percent said career advancement was harder, versus just 20 percent of fathers.
Squeezed for time, a full 40 percent of working moms said that they always feel rushed, and spend too little time with their kids. Half of the full-time working fathers added that they don’t spend enough time with their kids.
