Research shows that daughters of working mothers have more sucessful careers

Daughters of working mothers are more likely to go on to have successful careers, new research has revealed.

A significant study ran by Harvard University has quashed any negative connotations society has around mothers working and raising a family. The report found that daughters of women with careers were destined to have high flying job themselves and expect to be paid four per cent more than their peers.

Kathleen McGinn, Harvard Business School Professor and lead author of the study, found that the results in the UK and the US were particularly noteworthy, since the attitudes toward working mothers here are more archaic than in places such as the Netherlands.

The researchers summarized: “We hope the findings from our research will promote respect for the spectrum of choices women and men make at home and at work. Whether mums or dads stay at home or are employed, part-time or full-time, children benefit from exposure to role models offering a wide set of alternatives for leading rich and rewarding lives.”

The study also found that working mothers had a positive impact on their sons, who benefited from a positive female role model. “Our analyses find that sons raised by an employed mother are more involved at home as adults, spending more time caring for family members than men whose mothers stayed home full-time.”

One in three daughters from working mothers were in managerial roles compared to just one in four from non-working mums.

The study claims: “These findings suggest that in addition to transmitting gender attitudes across generations, mothers’ employment teaches daughters a set of skills that enable greater participation in the workforce and in leadership positions.”

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