A study by the University of Iowa finds mothers who take advantage of special work programs were penalized in their paycheck. Sociology professor Jennifer Glass says they studied women who took advantage of things such as working at home, telecommuting or working part-time hours so they could spend more time with their families. Women who consistently used the policies saw their wages grow at a slower pace than those who didn’t. Glass says some supervisors were openly hostile to women who took advantage of “family friendly” policies. But, she says that kind of behavior was not the norm.She says the majority of employers were more subtle in their approach and may’ve even unconsciously paid fewer rewards because the women were not as visible as other workers. Glass says this study isn’t good news for mothers trying to work and raise a family at the same time.She says the study found that mothers who didn’t have family friendly policies available often overextended themselves trying to spend time with their families. Glass says the idea of family friendly polices is a good one.She says the study showed women who had the family friendly polices were less stressed and their kids fared better too. Glass collaborated on the study with another researcher from the University of Cincinnati.
