Today’s Mothers Work

• Of all women in the workforce 40% are mothers of children under 18.

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997)

Programs Dual-Career Mothers (with children under 18) Have Used and Would like to

Use

• Would like to use: Flexible hours, 89%; Family leave, 86%; Cafeteria-style benefits, 79%.

• Have used: Flexible hours, 83%; Family leave, 74%; Cafeteria-style benefits, 68%.

(Catalyst, Two Careers, One Marriage: Making It Work In The Workplace, 1998, a survey of 802 members

of dual-career couples)

New Mothers Work

• In 1995, 83% of new mothers returned to the labor force within six months after childbirth;

72% returned to the same job; 11% changed workplaces; and 17% quit the workforce

altogether.

(J. Glass & L. Riles, National Science Foundation Study, 1995, of 308 women who worked before childbirth)

Executive Mothers

• In a Catalyst survey of senior female executives, 72% were married and 64% had children.

(Catalyst, Women in Corporate Leadership: Progress and Prospects, 1996, a survey of 461 women at VP

level and above in Fortune 1000 companies)

• In a similar survey of senior corporate and professional women in Canada, 76% were married

and 65% had children. (Catalyst, Closing the Gap: Women’s Advancement in Corporate and

Professional Canada, 1997, a survey of 576 senior women and CEOs)

Mothers as Breadwinners

• Women contribute 48% of the family income among all married wage and salaried workers.

Among dual-earner couples with children under 18, women contribute 39% of income.

(Families and Work Institute, The 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce, 1998)

• 74.6% of all single mothers are in the labor force. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997)

Part-time Work Options a Necessity

• 36% of women will work part-time at some point in their careers; women who use part-time

arrangements usually do so for child care reasons.

(Catalyst, A New Approach to Flexibility: Managing the Work/Time Equation, 1997)