-Caveat Lector- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000143789351982&rtmo=psQeNb1e &atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/4/nma04.html ISSUE 2081 Sunday 4 February 2001 Working mothers 'damage childrens education' By Martin Bentham, Social Affairs Correspondent Institute for Social and Economic Research - Essex University British Household Panel Survey - ISER Working Mother National Family and Parenting Institute AllAboutParents.com Parents Online Parent News CHILDREN under five whose mothers work go on to achieve exam results inferior to those whose mothers stay at home, according to the latest research measuring differences in achievement between siblings with separate upbringings. The study, by Essex University, found that for every year that a mother works before her child starts school, the prospects of gaining at least one A-level fall by as much as nine per cent. The greatest impact is felt when the mother works full-time. But the research shows that even part- time employment during a child's pre-school years is detrimental to its academic prospects. The study calls into question the Government's strategy of pressuring mothers to go back to work and will add weight to those who argue that they should be given greater encouragement to stay at home with their children. It states: "There is strong evidence of an adverse effect of a mother's full-time employment on her children's probability of achieving one A-level or more. "The effect ranges between a seven and nine per cent lower probability. There is also evidence of a negative effect on education of the mother's part-time employment, but this is smaller in magnitude." The findings, which are drawn from an analysis of families taking part in the Government-funded British Household Panel Survey, are significant because they have been reached by measuring differences in achievement between siblings whose mothers worked during the childhood of one but not the other. That means that the only variant in the children's upbringing is the amount of time which their mother spent with them. By contrast, previous research, which has tended to suggest that children benefit from their mothers working, has compared the performance of children from different familiies. This has allowed other factors, such as the mother's social class and educational background, to distort any assessment of how a child performs in later life. John Ermisch, the professor of economics at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at Essex University and co-author of the study, said his research suggested that the Government's approach of pushing women back to work was wrong. He said: "For every extra year that the mother worked there was a reduction of seven to nine percentage points in the probability of getting an A-level. That's a big difference." Professor Ermisch said that the negative impact of working upon children was less for highly educated mothers, probably because they could afford high-quality childcare. There was also limited evidence that raising the family income could help children. This was the case, however, only where there was a significant long- term increase in income. For most women, the extra money could not compensate for their absence. He said: "If you are only pushing women into jobs at McDonald's then you may not be doing anybody any good, particularly the kids." -- Q: Why are French highways lined with trees? A: The German army likes to march in the shade. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
