Essay Example on Should Women Balance Motherhood and Career?

Introduction

The mention of the term 'mom' brings two divergent views into focus; career and parenthood. A mother has to balance between raising a home and having her career (Orgad and Sara 422). Being a mom is an amazing achievement in life with all the feelings and experiences that go with it. One of the toughest decisions in a woman's life comes with motherhood. Shortly, after having children, many women are faced with a tough question, to stay at home or pursue a career. Every mother has different circumstances to consider on which role they want to take on. Although the job is the same, many contrasting requirements go with the title. The world is more different now than it was just 20 years ago. Families have also developed in different varieties as well. This essay compares the concept of being a working mother to being a mother who stays at home to raise the family.

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Benefits for Working Mothers

Many mothers have to work to make sure that their families are provided with the basic needs to live, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Working mothers cannot rely on the father's income as one income is not enough anymore. In the modern world, living conditions are quite high, and so is the cost of living. As a working mom, one has to sacrifice being away from the children, to enjoy a bit more financial stability (Almani, Allahdino and Roshan 168). For many mothers, it is not easy being away as the connection with their children is often lost. Regardless, this allows a mother to have more confidence and enjoy a more comfortable life. Mothers who work have the self-fulfillment of having a career while also balancing family life.

Benefits for Stay-at-home Mothers

The choice to stay at home is a sacrifice that economically affects the entire family, especially more to the mother. Stay at home moms may feel a little more trapped and constricted financially. These mothers tend to feel more depressed because they are not bringing any income home, and must be more dependent on their husband or partner. Similarly, they have to put in the work of raising the child and taking care of them. Staying at home with the children can be an arduous task that the mother is often at pains to undertake alone (Christopher 82). Being a stay at home mom has benefits and downfalls as well. One of the best things about being a stay at home mom is that you can focus 100 percent of your time and energy on your children.

The bond between a mother and their children tends to be stronger when they stay at home as opposed to working while raising the children. These mothers are also always there when needed. This mom can be there for everything, first steps, first words, the determination of what food the children will eat, their schedule, and the values that they are taught (Orgad and Sara 433). Household management including cooking, cleaning, and getting the kids where they need to be is completely controlled. The life of a stay at home mom is more consistent with discipline and routine.

Challenges for Working Mothers

Many working mothers feel guilty about not spending enough time with their children. Though they may not have the insecurities like financial independence and lack of self-confidence. For a stay at home mother, there is no unnecessary stress of meeting deadlines or staying later at work, which is quite prevalent in the case of a working mom. Having a full-time job and looking after a family can be very stressful, and time-consuming. Working moms sacrifice the quantity of time they can spend with their children (Almani et al. 170). These mothers generally tend to lose the connection they want with the children that affect how they relate and the respect the children have for them. The relationship is often transactional, and often, schools and society play the more significant role in raising these children.

Challenges for stay-at-home Mothers

A stay-at-home mother finds it very difficult to rejoin a career later in life. They are unable to grow professional skills as the working mothers do. These moms are known by different diminutive names such as 'soccer moms' and 'housewives.' A good number also suffer domestic violence due to the constant presence and interaction with their spouses (Christopher 78). Their frustrations often affect their marriages and very little is done to deal with their psychological problems.

Conclusion

Time spent, finances and child care are all critical factors in the decision process of becoming a mother. One thing about both of these dedicated and strong women is that the family is their foundation. As different as their circumstances may be, the love they have for their children will always be a commonality. Whether you're a stay at home mom or a working mom, as long as you care for your child and show quality attention over quantity, you will succeed as a mother.

Works Cited

Almani, Abdul S. et al. "Study of the Effects of Working Mothers on the Development of Children in Pakistan." International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 2.11 (2012): 164-171, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ed45/960420a8328bf7f40a0de3f3bcb8c7a965d9.pdf. Accessed April 15, 2019.

Christopher, Karen. "Extensive mothering: Employed mothers' constructions of the good mother." Gender & Society 26.1 (2012): 73-96, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23212242.pdf?casa_token=gI3Gyy1dx8wAAAAA:4MZIV2n-ryjK64rcFGbvm_xs1xTnoOCbAlGrsS4MKvz75ZnIEWRiplxeaxCHvYVQInh4x9u9hiPLDidc6DmnkI-R90cRHdgMWU51WU9UlEVSw5-0-R_c. Accessed April 15, 2019.

Orgad, Shani, and Sara De Benedictis. "The 'stay-at-home' mother, postfeminism and neoliberalism: Content analysis of UK news coverage." European Journal of Communication 30.4 (2015): 418-436, https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/16491/1/Fulltext.pdf. Accessed April 15, 2019.