Should it be easier for moms to return to work?
Post your comments to any momcafé blog posting before November 30 for a chance to win the Family Book.
It was my choice to have children. Sure, I loved my job before I started my family . . . I loved it so much that I worked around-the-clock in the office and on my blackberry. And I actually believed that I would be one of those moms who would be back at work within three months with a nanny at home looking after my child. But I quickly realized after getting to know my first born, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. I consider myself lucky and selfish. There are many moms who can’t afford to be a stay-at-home mom and their jobs aren’t flexible enough to do part-time or from home. I’m lucky that I chose a profession that, coupled with technology, allows me to work from home during naptime and in the early morning hours and in the evenings. I’m still working around-the-clock, but I get to spend most of my time being a mom.
Further to what I hear from other moms, there have been many media reports and studies about how companies and professions as a whole that should start making changes to help support moms so that they can stay in the workforce. For instance, earlier this year, the Law Society of Upper Canada suggested that too many women are leaving private practice to raise families. However, this isn’t isolated to lawyers, women in all professions are faced with the decision to return to work or stay home after having children.
There are some large companies, mostly in the larger business centres (aka east coast), that provide onsite childcare and access to on-call nannies so you never have to worry about childcare. There are other companies and unions that provide additional maternity benefits but the moms need to return to work after a year. But, what about the smaller private businesses that can’t afford to support moms? And, what about those workers who choose not to have children? Should they get additional bonuses for working more? What about dads? Should they also get additional benefits or allowances? Personally, I don’t know if I would have made a different decision about leaving my job if I had more resources and options presented to me.
Why did you decide whether to return to work or stay home? What would make your life more balanced? Post your comments to any momcafé blog posting before November 30 for a chance to win the Family Book.