Working mothers are more likely to raise better educated and more successful daughters than their stay-at-home counterparts, a new study has found.
Researchers at the Harvard Business School believe that women raised by working mothers are more likely to earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, while men raised by working mothers are more likely to help out around the home.
Using global data exploring social factors, employment opportunities and attitudes towards gender roles, researchers such as Kathleen McGinn found encouraging results for working mothers.
“By having a diverse set of activities that you're involved in as a parent, you're opening up the possibilities for your children,” she said.
The study involved 50,000 adults across 25 countries, and defined a working mother as a woman who did some paid work at any stage before their child turned 14.
While attitudes to gender equality have improved in countries such as Denmark, Finland and Norway, Australians’ views were found to be stagnating.
The findings have been welcomed by firms such as Deloitte, but concerns have been raised about the potential negative impact of the findings.
Return to work coach Emma Walsh said the results were encouraging for working mothers, but the report should be handled thoughtfully.
“One thing I would like to not see from this report is that you must work to in fact be a good mother,” she said.
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