Working mothers would rather have a raise than take a year off work to spend time with their families, according to a recent survey by Chase Card Services and Working Mother magazine.
That desire reflects the challenges and priorities they see down the road in 2013, which include paying off debt and saving money for their kids’ college funds. Paying off debt was listed second only to the challenge of balancing work and family. Top priorities for the coming year were saving more money (56%), making more money (54%) and putting more money into college funds for kids (36%).
When given the option of getting a 20% raise or taking a year off to spend time with family, 61% of respondents said they would take the extra money. Another 55% said they see themselves as primarily career-oriented, and only 25% wish they didn’t have to work.
Managing family finances
Working mothers also report that they run the household finances, with 59% of them saying that they alone manage expenses at home. Another 30% said that keeping track of family finances is a joint effort between partners at home, and 11% said their spouse handles finances alone. Regardless of who manages the finances, three-quarters of survey respondents said they are satisfied that their finances are being handled successfully.
Better employee or better mom
More women said that they prefer to be a better mother than a better employee – 29% said being a better mother was a priority, while only 2% said they were concerned about being a better employee. Given the option of striving to be both a better employee and a better mother, 55% percent said that they want to be both. Only 14% said they currently think they are doing a good job as both employees and mothers.
Looking forward to 2013
The survey, conducted at the end of last year about women’s feelings in the upcoming year, found that 79% of respondents felt they will be better off financially in 2013 than they were in 2012.
Workplace goals for the year include getting a raise (23% hoped to get one), finding a higher-paying job (16% chose this), and getting a promotion (13% are eyeing this goal).
The Working Mother and Chase Slate Life of a Working Mother: Career, Family and Finances survey was conducted by email and answered by 822 working mothers across the United States. The survey was done between December 7th and 19th, 2012.
