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Survey Finds
Majority of Working Mothers
Have Flexibility at Work
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2003: A recent survey
conducted by Executive Moms, a leading organization for New
York area women who are both professionals and mothers, found
that more than half of working mothers have some flexibility
in their job.
Key findings from
the survey include:
*
56% of the respondents have either been offered flexibility by
their company or have personally taken action to find more
flexibility in their work situation. Flexibility ranged from
the ability to scoot out for appointments, having flexible
hours or working a reduced number of days.
* 32% of women feel that telecommuting or working from home
would add the most flexibility into their work life
However,
* 43% of women have not sought out more flexibility for
fear of being taken less seriously about their career or
career path
* Only 10% of women without flexible work life feel their
current situation is just fine
"When we surveyed our members, we found
that their number-one issue was how to create more flexibility
with their work -- whether that's defined as actually job
sharing, telecommuting, or simply being able to scoot out to a
school play without worrying about the repercussions," says
Marisa Thalberg, Founder and President of Executive Moms. "Our
membership consists of successful women with careers spanning
almost every field. We've found, though, that regardless of a
woman's chosen field, or the rank she's achieved, as a mother,
she also grapples with creating a certain amount of work
flexibility that might make her feel like she can do right by
each of these two parts of her life."
More than 100 women responded to the survey conducted in
August 2003. Some respondents commented that negotiating for a
more flexible work schedule was far easier than dealing with
the office politics and resentment. Furthermore, some sited
that a societal stigma still exists where "flex time" replaces
"face time," and that this lack of "face time" can directly
compromise working mothers' career status, opportunities for
advancement and increased salary levels. However, by in large,
the survey results indicate that most women are happy with the
flexibility they currently have in their work life.
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