Mothers are often more efficient than childless counterparts

Most full-time mothers of young children in China want to work so they can reach their full potential, and many are more efficient than their childless counterparts, according to a report released by Zhaopin, a recruitment platform, in May.

The report found that about 60 percent of full-time mothers with children age 7 and younger said they wanted to work to realize their full potential.

Dai Shujuan, a 33-year-old former homemaker, said she returned to work because she was concerned she might be left behind by the fast pace of modern life after years of staying at home.

"As my children grow up, they will get a clearer view of my social status and capabilities. If I don't have a career or professional skills, they may be disappointed and not regard me as a role model," she said.

"What's more, my husband would have to shoulder a heavier financial burden if I didn't go to work."

Xu Huiying, a music teacher and mother of two, said women must go to work to guarantee their personal development.

"Imagine an ordinary day for stay-at-home mothers - they just do things like watch cartoon movies with their kids. I think that sort of life could make an adult dull and dispirited after a long time," she said.

Many of the working mothers featured in the report had a strong desire to obtain personal fulfillment in terms of promotion plans; 37 percent said they were willing to accept greater challenges at work, while 29 percent wanted to become managers, and 34 percent wanted to see a clear career development path.

However, 30 percent said taking care of the family took up most of their energy, while 16 percent claimed to have lost the chance of promotion simply because they were of childbearing age.

The report said that despite the unfavorable factors, working mothers should maintain high expectations for their careers, and should have confidence in their abilities because many have academic qualifications and a number hold managerial positions.

The results show that 61 percent of working mothers have bachelor's degrees and higher, 25 percent have reached middle-management levels and above, while 13 percent of respondents were regular managers.

In January 2014, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis examined papers published by nearly 10,000 female economists to assess their work performances.

It found that over the course of a 30-year career, mothers outperformed women without children at almost every stage, and women with at least two children were the most productive.

Laura Graves, professor of management at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, said a study she conducted in 2007 that was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology indicated that being able to manage looking after children and running a household helped working mothers better manage stress in their jobs, rather than exacerbating the pressure.

"Family experiences provide managers with positive feelings that carry over to the workplace and facilitate performance, and also help them develop the ability to see other people's points of views - which is crucial when supervising others, working in teams or relating to superiors," she said.

(China Daily 03/08/2019 page4)