The harm caused to children when their mothers return to work in the first year of life is cancelled out by the benefits of being employed, a controversial new study has found.
Findings from US research which tracked more than 1,000 infants from birth to age seven reignited the fraught debate over the impact on young children whose mothers work long hours.
Researchers found that babies brought up by mothers who resumed full-time work before they turned one tended to do worse in ability tests – a disadvantage that persisted into primary school.
But those negative effects disappeared when the researchers took into account the benefits of having a job, such as higher earnings, it was claimed.
Working mothers were also more likely to use good quality childcare because they could shop around for the best providers, the study found.
And, controversially, they showed greater 'maternal sensitivity' – or responsiveness towards their children – than stay-at-home mothers.
These 'indirect' benefits aided children's development, balancing the downsides of full-time work, the researchers said.
The 'overall effect' of mothers working during their child's first year was 'neutral', according to researchers at Columbia University.
But the study also found that the positive effects of working depended on mothers finding high quality childcare and being skilled parents while not at work.
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