Working Mothers: The Essential Guide - Softcover

Tyler, Denise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861440456 ISBN 13: 9781861440457

Publisher: Need2Know, 2006

Synopsis

Described as a 'practical no-nonsense guide', Working Mothers helps mothers find a bit more flexibility in their life, feel less guilty about working motherhood, and ensures they know their legal rights. Topics discussed include flexible working, maternity pay, childcare, starting your own business and health. Emotional issues such as guilt and making time for yourself are also discussed. Importantly, an entire section is devoted to fathers; paternity leave and flexible fatherhood being among the topics covered. Author Denise Tyler, a mother herself and founder of the online magazine mother@work, says, 'Working mothers are constantly coming under fire in the media and it seems hardly a few months go by without yet another survey about how working mothers would give it all up and stay at home it they could. But what these surveys and the media who report them fail to take into account is that the vast majority of women in the UK don't work because they want to, but because they have to. This book can help you look at your life and isolate things that need working on, to help you get a better work-life balance. Wouldn't it be great just to feel a bit more in control of things?' Whether you are already a working mother, or plan to return to work, this book provides all the answers to questions working mothers ask. A list of useful contacts is included. Published by www.need2knowbooks.co.uk.

About this title

Review

'It's never easy being a working mum and trying to juggle getting the kids to and from school, arranging childcare, taking time off for sickness and school closures, and holding down a job...So you might want to take a look at the Revised 2008 edition of Working Mothers - The Essential Guide. It talks common sense and offers practical advice with tips and some ideas that might have been too obvious to think of.' --Mike Davies, Primary Times

'This handy sized, readable book contains lots of useful information, not just for parents, who I feel it is primarily aimed at, but for anyone involved in caring for children. It provides a useful reference to help answer parent's questions. The book includes lists of websites and straight forward information given in an interesting style.' --Christine Greaves, National Childminding Association.

Synopsis

You've probably picked this book up hoping there will be a cut out and keep magic wand inside that you can merrily wave at your life to sort it out; buying you extra time in the day, producing self cleaning kids and a husband who's home at 4.30 wondering what to cook for dinner. If you think a book can do that for you overnight, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. But this book can help you look at your life and isolate things that need working on to help you get a better work-life balance. Wouldn't it be great just to feel a bit more in control of things? To get your work, home and personal lives a little bit more in tune? Working mothers are constantly coming under fire in the media for one thing or another and it seems hardly a few months go by without yet another survey about how working mothers would give it all up and stay at home if they could. Well, sure, if money was no object, so would I! Though I doubt I'd sit still for long...But what these surveys and the media who report them fail to take into account is that the vast majority of women in the UK don't work because they want to, but because they have to. And no, it isn't easy. I have yet to meet a working mother who hasn't had something to say about the need to juggle or struggle. If you've picked up this book then you're half way there. Obviously, you think there's room for improvement, no matter how small and with that in mind you will find lots of tips and hints from other working mothers in this book, some high flyers and some like you and me, just trying to get life to run a bit more smoothly. We'll talk about work and why you're there, how you can make time work for you (not the other way around) and what you can do to get your families to help out so that you can have some time for yourself in amongst it all, and that's whether you're a single mum or with a partner. So many women just carry on, day to day, in the hope that something will magically change when in fact they just need to communicate. Don't be afraid to talk to your employer about wanting to work more flexibly or from home every once in a while - there are laws now which mean they have to listen. Do you know what your rights are? Has your employer let you know? If not, you'll find them outlined here and a list of useful resources at the back of the book for you to carry on with your own research. And don't be afraid to talk to your family and suggest changes. You never know, they may actually be willing and want to make changes if it makes things better for you. A woman I interviewed recently for mother@work was in the early throes of setting up her own business, 'What I need', she said, after talking about the long hours she was putting in 'is a wife'. And she's right there, many women still fulfil the extra, unrecognised roles of mother and housekeeper, taxi driver and cook as well as their so called real jobs outside of the home. No wonder the work life balance gets out of kilter. So, if you want to get some of your life back, then here's where you start asking yourself some hard questions and making some even harder decisions.

Edition details

• Publisher: Need2Know
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1861440456
• ISBN 13: 9781861440457
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 100