Do Working Moms Put Their Kids At Risk? What New Study Says

The kids are alright. The children of mothers who work outside the home are no more likely to experience social or emotional problems during their early years than kids of stay-at-home moms, according to a new study by English researchers.

"No detrimental effects of maternal employment in the early years were seen," concluded the authors of the study of 12,000 children, which was published in theJournal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Study author Dr. Anne McMunn, a researcher at University College London, said in a written statement, "Some studies have suggested that whether or not mothers work in the first year of a child's life can be particularly important for later outcomes. In this study we did not see any evidence for a longer-term detrimental influence on child behavior of mothers working during the child's first year of life."

The ideal scenario for boys and girls, the researchers concluded, is when both parents live at home and both are working.

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