| <No.486> |
| US Working Mothers Struggle Daily to Balance Family, Career |
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It's a typical weekday morning
at the Barnes' co-owned household.
Alison Barnes is getting her kids fed and ready for school
as she gets ready to leave for her job.
This busy mother of three says
she's been trying hard
to juggle the needs of her family
with her work.
"Since I've become a mom about eight years ago,
I've definitely had periods
where I've been able to achieve good balance
and another time where that seems very elusive,"
Barnes is a partner
in a Washington, D.C. law firm.
That position gives her some flexibility in her job.
She's been able to take long maternity leaves
and work just four days a week.
"I have Fridays with my children,
and that's been very important
and helped me feel like
I have really achieved some sense of balance."
Barnes is among the more fortunate women
who have those options available to them,
says Vicki Shabo.
She is the director of work and family programs
at the National Partnership for Women and Families
in Washington.
"White collar workers,
high-paid workers, professional workers
have more flexibility
than they used to.
Telecommuting and policies
that allow people to do work from home
every once in a while
or to set their own hours
are increasing."
"For most of the women in this country,
they don't have choices
about when they work
or where they work
or how much they're working.
They don't have access
to high quality childcare.
They don't have access to sick days,
and they certainly don't have access
to paid parental leave or paid leave
to take care of an ill family member."
And then says Shabo,
there's the issue of maternity leave,
which is one of the biggest concerns for working moms.
"We are one of the few countries in the world
that does not offer paid maternity leave to new moms
and one of a slightly larger number
that doesn't offer paid leave to new dads."
"Our key workplace policy
is the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act
which provides 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave
to new parents
and to people who need to deal with their own serious health
conditions
or care for an ill child, parent or spouse."
But that, says Shabo, is only a start.
"My greatest hope is that
we implement a national paid family and medical leave
insurance program
to bring ourselves up to the level of the rest of the world."
No matter what their job,
working mothers want what all caring parents want:
a society that recognizes the value
of happy, healthy children.
Julie Taboh, VOA News, Washington |
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