Eastern Standard

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, nearly 73 percent of American mothers were working or looking for work. 68 percent have children under the age of six. 77 percent have children between 6 and 17 years of age. Yet, 46 of working mothers have had to seek mental health therapy, 49 percent report feeling burned out, 52 percent say they have had to consider leaving the workforce because of the cost of childcare, and 58 percent claim to be the primary person responsible for running the household (Motherly, 2023).

And it’s the story told by those statistics that is the focus of Beth Polin’s series on Working Mothers.

Dr. Polin, an EKU business professor, is an organizational psychologist who understands the business perspective on issues of employment, leave policies, productivity, and conflict navigation. She also is a mother. As a working professional and a mother, she is uniquely situated to explore the myriad issues encountered by working motherhood, as well as those of employers of mothers.

“This needs to be a conversation,” she says, “about exactly what it means to be a working mother, and what it means to be a company employing working mothers in 2024.”

The series is slated to begin later this summer.