The percentage of working mothers who say they would prefer part-time work has increased in the last 10 years, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
Among working mothers with children 17 years old and younger, 60 percent of respondents said part-time work is the ideal situation for them, up from 48 percent in 1997.
About half of mothers who work full-time said part-time work would be the ideal situation for them. By contrast, 5 percent of mothers who work part-time said full-time work would be the ideal situation for them.
Twenty-one percent of all working mothers with minor children said full-time work is the ideal situation for them in 2007, down from 32 percent in 1997.
The Pew Research Center says its survey found that views on the question of preferring full-time or part-time work vary little by income or education level among mothers with minor children.
About the same percentage of respondents said they would prefer not working outside the home at all in 1997 (20 percent) and in 2007 (19 percent).
Seventy-two percent of fathers with children under the age of 18 said the ideal situation for them is working full-time. Twelve percent of fathers said they would prefer working part-time.
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