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It’s an argument as old as dirt. Kids need two parents, with one of them staying home to take care of kids and the house. Healthier, more well-adjusted people come from homes where one parent takes care of the home and the kids. Well-behaved children come from homes where one parent raises themand the other works.
Wrong. Many studies have been conducted in the last several decades, and the information coming out is that the old school of thought is valueless.
The study was published in the 2010 Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Senior researcher at University College London, Anne McMunn, PhD, reports that there are no detrimental child’s behavior associated with the mother working outside the home.
Girls are More in Danger of Behavior Problems
In fact, the studies strongly suggest that children in homes with two working parentsseem to fare the best. However, the studies also suggest that for some reason, girls are twice as likely to have behavioral problems at age 5 if the mother stays home. No such effect has been discovered for boys.
McMunn said that working mothers should not feel guilty leaving their kids to work. Mothers worry about the emotional development of their children, when in actuality, they’re doing their kids a service by working outside the home, in regards to additional income for the family and positive effects on the children.
The latest study looked at information when the children were infants, when they were three and again at five years of age. It’s a UK study, but children are children, and the study results are likely in any country.
