Do stay at home mothers harm...?

Question

working mother's image?

Do you agree with the statement, implying that a negative image of women in the minds of employers is at least partially rooted in the behaviors of stay at home mothers? Why or why not?

I am not asking about affect on kids, just on the image of women as a whole....I will keep my opinion to myself to help get unbiased answers...

Answer 1

There are some SAHMs who have made disparaging comments about working mothers that have made it into the mainstream press. That's as far as it goes; stay-at-home motherhood isn't fundamentally harmful to anyone, unless it's involuntary.

Answer 2

More companies are realizing that for most moms, family comes first.  Add the shift to a work-family life balance and I think the stigma against stay at home moms is less.  Actually, not long ago I read how a number of companies are actually tapping into the SAHMs to augment the in-office workforce.  I think the idea was that, since their day doesn't have quite as much structure, they can fit things in.

Answer 3

Well what do you expect?

Women of childbearing age are a greater flight risk to hire than a man at the same age.

Any employer that didn't look at that is irresponsible.   When you have jobs that require a strong team and a lot of training, you need people that are there for the long haul.

It's not fair to the women that want to have kids and work, but it's also not fair to the employer that needs workers at work, doing their thing.

Nature is cruel sometimes, but do you really expect employers to treat an employee "equally" that doesn't spend "equal" time in the office and "equal" time with on-the-job training?

If a grown woman chooses to have a child, then she chooses all of the things that go with that.

It's not the employer's fault.  They reward performance.  If you're not there, you're not performing.

Sad, but true.

Answer 4

I couldn't care less.  I have absolutely no intention of 'juggling', whether it harms the image of working mothers or not.  Working mothers will have to fend for themselves, i have not the smallest intention of joining their numbers.

Answer 5

I really think that worrying about image is wrong. The fact is that some women can be SAHMs and good for them if they want to, and other women can't or don't want to.

And I really wish the SAHM thing was not presented as an either/or thing. It's perfectly reasonable that a couple can have it so a parent stays at home at some point and works at another point. To me that would be real freedom of choice.

Answer 6

Some guy, you're really showing how limited your life experiences are. Nobody is going to hire a woman whose children are grown because if she hasn't been working all those years, she will have no real job skills. At least with working mothers, they are keeping their job skills current instead of allowing them to become outdated or obsolete, like with women who are out of the work force for years to raise their children. Another problem these women will face is age discrimination. It can affect both men and women. Many employers would rather hire young people fresh out of college instead of often more competent but overqualified older workers. Even though they're less reliable, younger workers are cheaper and more willing to work longer hours.

Answer 7

Who cares do what is best for your family and yourself. There are a million jobs out there.

Answer 8

No.   How would have someone else staying home with their children affect me in the workplace?  I'm not sure I get your logic.

Answer 9

Not at all.

'Working' mothers are the ones that harm their own image.

Stay at home mothers don't really enter into the decision of whether or not to hire a 'working' mother. Previous experience with 'working' mothers does.

They're an absolute nightmare to employ.

The problem is 'working' mothers haven't quite got the working part right. They are a mother, who wants to pretend she works, but that's about all. They seem to believe that the entire world revolves around her and her children.

They continually expect time off because of little Johnny's soccer match or little Mary's dental appointment. Or they're late to work because there was a problem at daycare, or because she had to speak to the teacher of her offspring. And even when they're not taking unnecessary time off they are not as productive as a woman without children, let alone a man.

A stay at home mother on the other hand can be respected for putting an effort into raising her children properly instead of handing them to a stranger to raise. They also don't seem to have the same attitude that everything revolves around their children.

Given the choice amongst otherwise equally qualified employees the preference would run like this : A man, a woman whose children are grown, a woman without children, and finally a 'working' mom.

It makes it hard for the proportion of mothers who really do want to work.

Answer 10

I think that their image is more harmed by the "working" mother that would rather be staying at home.  The one that calls in for every sniffle and needs to take off early to take cupcakes to the class party.

(I am by no means saying ALL working moms are like that!  I'm saying that the really committed career women are hurt by these)

The stay at home mothers have declared that they know exactly where they want to be and aren't swaying on that.  They are not as detrimental as someone who goes to work, but puts the job as a last priority.

Answer 11

What is HARM?

What are our children growing up to understand

What is it they will spit back at us in 20 years time,

The image of women, as a whole has changed... dramatically

I don't wish to appear rude but ...working or stay at home mums "who's best" ..had it's 'hey day' in the 70's and seems a little outdated considering the current multiethnicised and eclectic mateing rituals of the current birthing pool.

Biology's dealing it's own cards with the current population crisis humans created by scaffolding an ageing population.

Education has lacked the forsight to educate for the future the last decade has seen Plummers and Builders Electricians etc... in high demand - Yet we have opened up art and design schools, instead of technical colleges?

- Even when you consider that our magor systems waterworks, power, ect...

They were designed in the Roman and Victorian era's respectively;

....and all have been doing since the 70's is patch up what appears to be a very tired worn out cruise ships blearing decadance not experianced by the passengers.

There is no point haveing 6 billion computer programers and one engineer.

There is no point in teaching our children to become unconchious consumers, to obey instruction without questioning it's intention.

How does it effect women - as a whole whist women have gained huge leaps even eclipsing our demascleated males in the commercial workplace "consumerisum", they have made but a dent (car mechanics) in the more traditional male sciences which we will need in order to sustain the future.

Why is this a problem with the two main concerns of the future being engineering and healthcare of the elderly...what will the role of future women be, considering the forced evacuation of women from the home in the latterhalf of the 19th century?

Since women have failed to secure the workplace - those of us still trying to defend home base from the invadeing governments, our wondering just what sort of work involves painted nails and nice outfits...

and questioning whether working women our beginning to question their purpose and are attacking 'mothers' as a form of defence.

The definition of a mother in most female scientific litrature suggests someome who completes otherwise paid for services in the community (cleaning, cooking; etc..) for free to ensure the continueation of her offspring... a mother receades her life for the benifit of her family.

Zoe

A mother at home is also expected to maintain the upkeep of the premises and the contiuation of property as well as participate in child rearing.

Answer 12

Not at all.  As a teacher I have lots of contact with many, many parents, especially mothers.  I know stay at home moms who are absolutely wonderful and would bend over backwards to help me and their children...I know working mothers that would do the same.  Sadly to say, where there is good, there is bad.  I know stay at home mothers who....well I don't know because I have never met and seem to care less about their child's education , I know working mothers like this as well.

You are what you make yourself, not what your label is.

EDIT- Employers are not concerned with stay at home moms.  Either you are having a difficult time explaining what you meam, I am having a difficult time understanding what you mean, or you are making an issue out of nothing.

Most employers would hire a person with more recent experience and up to date knowledge in the field over someone who has been out of it for a while.  Whether they stayed at home with children or spent their inheritance from Uncle Bernard traveling the world....their absence has put them behind in the field.

Now what you MAY be speaking of is employment or advancements of a husband of a stay at home mom over a working mom as a result if him being the sole provider.  This I believe probably happens at times, but I also believe that many employers are less concerned with how their decisions effect the financial security of their employees and their families over the productivity of their company or business.

Answer 13

No I do not think stay at home moms' behaviors have anything to do with how an employer views a working woman/mom.

Answer 14

You know, there are stay at home mothers that do work.

People tend to forget that working for someone else is not the only way to raise money.

Answer 15

both have not much of an image anyway. next question please.