Working mothers are experiencing something of a heyday right now. One recent study from Harvard found that daughters who had working mothers grew up to accomplish more at work, earn more money and climb higher on the corporate ladder than the daughters of stay-at-home moms.
Not only that, but the sons of working mothers pitch in more at home, clocking almost twice as many hours on family and child care as men with stay-at-home moms. (Their spouses thank you, working moms.)
Another study last year found that the children of low-income families fared better in kindergarten if their moms went back to work when they were babies.
And this recent study found that social acceptance of working moms continues to climb, with Millennials significantly more accepting than older generations. “Compared to their predecessors, 12th graders in the 2010s were more likely to support equal roles for men and women,” the report reads. “In the 2010s, 70% of 12th graders believed working mothers could develop equally warm relationships with their children, compared to 53% in the 1970s.”
Given that other research has found that working moms cry once a week due to the stress of having it all, this seems like good news. But does all the data translate into how people really feel about having had working mothers? When asked how their working moms affected their lives as adults, people had the following things to say:
“I absolutely believe I’m more ambitious and successful because my mother worked. My mom was an HR exec at McDonald’s Corp and since my parents were divorced, a single mother. We moved every two to three years during elementary and middle school due to her promotions and relocations. As a result, I am extremely adaptable. Granted, there were sacrifices. My mom was never a PTA mom. I learned things later than my peers. But I wouldn’t have traded how my mom raised my brother and me.” – Kailei Carr, 39, Atlanta
“Watching my mother working as an adolescent was incredibly inspiring. I saw her put herself through a Masters and PhD program, all while maintaining a full time job and working as a single mother. She taught me how to be dedicated, to have a passion for my own personal education, and how to communicate well with others in and out of the work place. I am more successful because I saw my mother work.” –Blaire Knight-Graves, 25, Chicago
“I definitely grew up with a work ethic, whether outside or inside the home. My mother emphasized staying productive and orderly. I’d say it contributed to my view on gender roles, from the perspective of ‘Everyone pitches in to get the job done,’ whatever the job may be. So I own a business, I direct a nonprofit, and I still have to clean the toilets on Saturdays before I get to go out and play.” –Christian Muntean, 41, Anchorage, AK
“I watched my mom earn her Master’s Degree while raising three kids pretty much solo. And when I ask her how she did it, she simply says, ‘You just do what you have to do.’ So even in my craziness days on my way to being an entrepreneur, I kept working, learning and pushing through.” –Cheryl Laughlin, 44, Lodi, CA
“My working mom inspired me to be my own boss, which has been the greatest achievement in my career. Because she started her own business and was self-employed the entire time she was raising me, I think this put the idea in my head that I could do the same thing.” –Michelle Garrett, 43, Columbus, OH
“Watching my mother work each day, especially as a single mother, made me more appreciative of what she did, not only while I was growing up, but also when I became an adult. Hearing how she often takes criticism and setbacks in stride, especially when she has done her very best, raises my respect for her to another level. I often ask myself if I could endure some of what she went through. Her dedication and persistence has made me a stronger advocate for women’s rights in the workforce to support working mothers.” –Philip Blackett, 30, Boston
“My mother worked three jobs while I was growing up. In my teens she started her own business. I have had a few businesses now myself. She gave me the drive, the determination, the ambition and the gumption to reach for my goals.” –Trisha Trixie, 45, Centennial, CO
“My mother began working full time soon after I was born, but she worked nights and weekends. Her working taught me accountability for my own schoolwork, and accountability for the tasks I was assigned to do while she was gone. It made me very independent and self-reliant. I also learned a lot of things from my dad that I probably would not have learned had my mother been home at night, such as working on cars.” –Emmy Gengler, 52
“My mother worked outside the home in C-level positions for as long as I can remember. I learned so much from watching her as a child. She drug my younger brother and me to many after-hours work events. I learned her incredible work ethic, business savviness, and most importantly, to always do the right thing. I was taught that men and women are equal and to not use being a woman as an excuse. I hope and pray I am teaching my daughter the same things my mom taught me.” –Jo Trizila, 44, Dallas
“As a female who studied physics and now works in a male-dominated field (aerospace/engineering), I think the fact that my mom also studied and worked in a male-dominated field (computer programming) somewhat normalized the abnormality of it for me. I was not only taught that I could do whatever I wanted as a career, even if I was a minority in the field, but shown it on a daily basis. I grew up knowing that I was capable of supporting myself and that having the ability was important. I inherited a strong conviction from my mom that women can and should choose their own career path and are just as mentally capable as men in all areas of life.” –Kathryn Handler, 25, Silver Spring, MD
