Many Women's Work
Suffers to Care for Sick Child
Excerpt By Alison McCook, Reuters Health

Mothers are more likely than fathers to care for sick children, often at the expense of their livelihood and perhaps careers, according to a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

It found that half of working mothers say they do not work when a child falls ill, relative to only 30 percent of fathers.

The reason for this imbalance likely stems from traditional gender roles, in which women are charged with caring for the family, study author Dr. Alina Salganicoff told Reuters Health.

'I think these roles are very, very difficult to change,' she said.

And for many mothers, missing work has its price, the report indicates: Half of working mothers don't get paid when they miss work because of a child's illness.

The survey found women with lower incomes were most likely to forgo pay to care for a sick child, with 75 percent of very poor women -- defined as those earning less than the federal poverty level -- losing wages.

Two-thirds of low-income women -- those whose families earn less than twice the poverty level -- also said they are not paid when they stay home because of an ill child.

'Low-income women are really disproportionately affected by this,' Salganicoff said.

And when money is tight, losing only a little can mean a lot, she added.

'Staying home one day could make a very important difference' in terms of what women bring home to their families, she noted.

Many women also said they fear there could be consequences to taking time off for a sick child. These concerns were most common among low-income mothers, of whom around four in ten said they feared their colleagues might not understand or that their job performance might suffer.

Three out of 10 working mothers, regardless of their income, also said they feared their job evaluations could be negatively affected if they miss work because of a sick child. Again, this concern was raised most often among low-income women.

'I think women are aware of what it takes to get ahead in the workplace,' Salganicoff said. 'Clearly, they are aware that they are not putting in at the same level.'

The investigators did not ask women's colleagues about whether staying home to tend to a sick child did, in fact, affect their job performance.

Salganicoff explained that low-income and very poor women may suffer more because they are more likely to hold part-time or low-wage jobs that pay by the hour and have no benefits.

Mothers also tend to take on the primary responsibilities surrounding family health more often than fathers, according to the report, with 80 percent of mothers saying they are responsible for choosing a doctor and taking children to doctors' appointments.

The investigators also found that 10 percent of the women they studied are charged with caring for a chronically ill, disabled, or elderly family member.

The findings are based on a survey of almost 4,000 U.S. women between the ages of 18 and 64, conducted between March and July of 2001.

Reference Source 89

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