1 One out of three children of working mothers are poor even though their mother works, or would be poor if their mother didn't work. While 18 percent of married women with children under six who do not work outside the home live in poverty, less than 3 percent of married women with children under six who work full-time live in poverty. 4 Women's financial contributions accounted for most of the increase in the median income of married couples with children between 1969 and 1996. Without the wives' earnings, the income of these families would have increased by only 2 percent over that time period, rather than 25 percent. The U.S. is one of six countries, out of 150, that does not provide paid maternity leave that would allow parents to stay home during the first critical months of their children's lives, according to one study.
Most young children have mothers who work outside the home.
About two out of five states require families receiving welfare to return to work even if their child is six months of age or younger. 12 Sixty-two percent of married mothers with children under age six, and 72 percent of single mothers with children under age six are in the labor force. Child care centers were the most common child care arrangement reported for these children. 15 Many parents, whether or not they are employed, want their child to get some preschool experience before they enter kindergarten. This includes children of employed and non-employed mothers.