Many of the parents and subgroups of parents agree that the one thing that suffers the most is not work or family, but their own personal needs. It is not an easy decision for women to decide to go to work once their baby is born. It is a heady decision that tugs at them constantly. Most women have to return to work not because they are bored or it is a luxury, but because they have to help out their family. So when the Times Poll asked whether putting children under the age of four in day care with other other children is better for their development or whether the child is better served with full-time parents, most parents opted for the latter.
Black parents think the reverse.
Who is responsible takes on a different hue when it is seen in the eyes of the male and female parent in the household. Still after agreeing to the traditional roles set out by society, most parents don't see any reason why working women cannot have a good relationship with their children. More than 3 out of 5 parents also believe that a working mother can establish as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work outside the home. The Times Poll contacted 2,021 adults statewide, including 1,601 parents, by telephone April 25 through May 1. Telephone numbers were chosen from a list of all exchanges in the state.