Women workers nasty to mums

Sydney, Nov 16 (UNI) Women colleagues without kids are far nastier to working mums than their male counterparts.

A recent UK survey on 300 mothers by child care search service, CareforKids.com.au revealed that more than half of working mothers said child-free female colleagues were considerably less sympathetic than men to mothers trying to juggle both home and career.

The working mums with maternity leave (lasting up to 12 months) and the right to ask for flexible working hours meant women without children perceived them as 'enemies to be left behind on the corporate ladder.' The survey on Australian working mothers show 43.5 per cent had been made to feel inferior or uncomfortable by female colleagues for putting children before career when it came to dedication to their job.

''The fact is the economy needs women to work and for many women, working is not a choice but a financial necessity. So in the interest of the greater prosperity of Australia, working mums should not be seen as nuisances, but helped to maintain their working status,'' Daily Telegraph quoted Roxanne Elliott, founder of CareforKids.com.au, as saying.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Social Trends Survey 2006, women worked full-time in 14 per cent of families where the youngest child is under 5 years, and 31 per cent worked part-time.

Meanwhile 71 per cent of women surveyed said they still feel that asking an employer for more flexible working conditions due to their parenting needs would have a negative impact on their career prospects.

In the CareforKids.com.au survey, 61 per cent of stay-at-home mums said they had encountered negativity about their choice or status by being made to feel inferior compared to working women.

''There seems to be a complete contradiction in attitudes towards mothers,'' said Elliott.

Ultimately the working mothers feel caught while being a parent affects their career prospects, society also looks down on stay-at-home mums.

UNI