This Type Of Mom Raises The Most Successful Kids, According To Research
You can have a career and raise a successful child.
Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels There are plenty of perks and downfalls of being a working mom. You're bound to miss out on moments of your kids' lives, teachers are judgmental when you can't leave work on a whim for something that isn't an emergency, and you constantly try to find balance between your work life and your personal one.
But now, science is giving working moms the pat on the back they so richly deserve, and not just for getting up and heading to work after getting the kids ready every day. As it turns out, they're churning out the most successful kids.
Working moms raise the most successful kids, according to research.
According to a paper published by Harvard Business School, working mothers are 4.5% more likely to have daughters who will be employed. Not only are the daughters of working mothers more likely to be employed, but they're also more likely to hold supervisory positions and earn more money than the daughters of women who don’t work outside the home.
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How are sons affected? The researchers also found a statistically significant effect on the sons of working women, who are more likely to spend time with family members and do household chores than the sons of stay-at-home mothers. It sounds like they're raising little feminists.
Daughters of working moms are more likely to hold leadership roles in the workplace.
While women are making strides in breaking the glass ceiling, they are still steps behind men when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. According to a 2024 report by S&P Global Sustainable1, only 29% of working women hold senior management roles that are, what the report called, a "stepping stone to the C-Suite."
That's why the Harvard Report is so illuminating. 33 percent of working mothers have daughters holding supervisory positions compared to 25% of stay-at-home moms' daughters. They also earn more than daughters of stay-at-home mothers. That means young women aren't just mirroring their moms. They are inspired by them to push the envelope.
"We did expect that it would affect employment, but we didn't expect that it would affect supervisory responsibility," Professor Kathleen McGinn told Quartz. McGinn also noted that the income of daughters of working moms in the U.S. was $5,200 higher than that of daughters of women who stayed at home when they tried to adjust the study and control for gender attitudes.
As Pluie co-founder Addie Gundry wrote of her own experience as a working mom, "I often find myself juggling the demands of my career with the needs of my family. It can be a balancing act, one that sometimes feels impossible. But amid the hustle, I’m reminded of the importance of being a role model to my daughter. In my daily life, I’m not just working to support my family financially — I’m also showing her what it means to be resilient, passionate, and committed to both her goals and the people she loves."
Working moms offer an example to kids to be more than what society has historically told them to be.
"What I take away is that employed mothers create an environment in which their children's attitudes on what is appropriate for girls to do and what is appropriate for boys to do is affected," McGinn said. Basically, daughters of working moms realize that they have choices in life that are not dictated solely by home economics, and boys of working moms understand the true meaning of a contributing partner in a relationship. Both of those are priceless lessons.
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What is the message here for working mothers? It's that being employed has long-lasting, positive effects on children. “When you go to work, you are helping your children understand that there are lots of opportunities for them,” McGinn stressed.
She added, “There’s a lot of potential guilt about having both parents working outside the home. But what this research says to us is that not only are you helping your family economically — and helping yourself professionally and emotionally if you have a job you love — but you’re also helping your kids.”
So, let go of that guilt, working moms. You're raising your kids exceptionally well, and they wouldn't be this way if it weren't for you.
Nicole Weaver is a senior writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, and more.
