Stanford Report, April 25, 2001
Laraine Zappert's new book, Getting It Right, is partly based on a 1996 survey of three generations of Stanford Business School graduates. The youngest woman in the sample was 26 and the oldest was 86. Of the more than 300 women, more than two-thirds were married and nearly 40 percent had children. Of the mothers, 7 percent were stay-at-home mothers, 46 percent worked part time and 47 percent worked full time.
Zappert found, among the mothers responding to the survey, that:
- 98
percent said having children was
"definitely" the right decision.
- More
than half reported a "great deal of
stress" with finding the right childcare
arrangements.
- 42
percent reported that having children had hurt
their careers. Nearly the same number said their
careers were enhanced by the skills they learned
from being parents.
- "Love and support" was the most frequently listed factor in creating personal and professional balance. "Drive and determination" was listed second most frequently, and "spirituality" was the third most frequently listed factor.
