Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 14, 1994 TAG: 9404140345
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
She gets up at 6:45 a.m. to catch the 8:07 commuter train to her job in New York City, leaving her two children with their nanny on the way. About 101/2 hours later, she returns; after a long day at work, her long night at home begins.
``I'm stressed out to the max, but I can't imagine life any other way,'' she said.
A Gallup poll commissioned by Working Mother magazine for its May issue says Dawson isn't alone: For the most part, working mothers are satisfied with the balance in their lives between jobs and family.
The findings contradict studies that found many women - and men - uncomfortable with the long hours they spend on the job, riddled with guilt over time spent away from their families.
``The media tends to pick up the negative side of women's lives,'' said Judsen Culbreth, editor in chief of Working Mother. ``This study confirms what our own reader surveys have shown. Women are telling us, `I like my life and I enjoy my job.'''
Gallup polled 1,000 working mothers nationwide - 500 randomly and 500 selected as career-committed. Some of the findings:
Eight out of 10 were ``extremely'' or ``very'' satisfied with how well their children are doing and with the job they are doing as mothers. Ninety percent said their children are happy.
Three-quarters said they ``like'' or ``love'' their jobs - from the woman who de-snouts hogs in Missouri to the physics professor in Florida.
Seven out of 10 women said they work to feel good about themselves, regardless of the job they do or the money they earn. But eight out of 10 said ``providing for the family'' is a top reason for working.
Nearly nine out of 10 were concerned with getting paid what they were worth, with only 4 percent saying they were not ``especially concerned about pay.''
Feminist author Betty Friedan hailed the poll results. ``Of course women still have problems balancing work and family, but that's nothing compared to the depression, the lack of identity and control over their lives, the suppressed rage, they used to feel.''
Others, however, said the study was overly optimistic.
``It just doesn't jibe with what I see,'' said Ellen Bravo, executive director of 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women. ``Corporate culture still discourages having an active life outside of work, and lots of people lack the assistance they need. People are feeling the squeeze from time and money.''
Sheila Wellington, president of Catalyst, a nonprofit business research group, said her studies paint a bleaker picture. Men are satisfied 70 percent of the time, women only 52 percent of the time, she said.
"Women are in the work force to stay," she said. "But it is important to note that most women - and men - work because they have to."
by CNB