Midwestern moms more likely to go back to work
Categories: Just for moms, Money & work, In the news
Sandy recently told us about a new Census Bureau report that found that, not only are women waiting longer to have children, many are choosing not to have children at all. That same report turned up another interesting piece of information: Midwestern moms are more likely to go back to work than other moms.Over at The Curious Capitalist, Barbara Kiviat has an interesting discussion going on about why Midwestern moms are more likely to go back to work than their counterparts in other areas of the country. She theorizes, by comparing maps in a very unscientific way, that Midwestern moms have access to a higher number of childcare centers, which may be why they choose to work. A commenter points out, however, that there may be more childcare centers because there is a higher demand.
I've never lived on either coast and have only visited one of them, so I have no idea what it's like to be a parent anywhere other than the Midwest. But I do know that but for a handful of exceptions, every mother I know works (for pay) in one capacity or another. Whether full-time, part-time, or work from home, most of them contribute financially to their family. But I can't give you one solitary reason why they work. Some do it because they need to, others because they love their jobs. Some just need to get out of the house a few hours a week. At least one old friend gave me flack for putting my own career on hold, saying, "Well that's putting your hard-won degree to good use."
Maybe we work to change the stereotype of the Midwestern housewife, toiling selflessly away for her family. I don't know, but I do think this piece of information is interesting. What do you make of it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SKL 9-02-2008 @ 1:11PM
I'm not sure, but brainstorming the following come to mind:
Shorter commutes?
Stronger support network (living closer to extended family, local college buddies, and old friends)?
Relatively flexible and laid-back work culture (compared to the East Coast, anyway)?
Cost of daycare, clothes, and commuting doesn't quite eat up our entire salary?
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Midwestern mom in socal 9-03-2008 @ 11:26PM
It would be interesting to expand the study to include women like me who were raised in the midwest and now live somewhere else because I suspect there is a cultural aspect to the finding.Here in California I feel like I am very different from the women around me those who work and those who don't. I have proudly worked from the day I left home at age 18: through college, grad school, and three children. When I come home I work more: I cook, clean, do homework with children, bake, launder, garden, run errands, volunteer at my church. I think it was just the way I was raised. My grandma (a midwesterner also) used to say, "Keep your hands busy." I love it. Hard work has afforded me a wonderful life.
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