working mothers

Germany strikes me as a modern country with progressive attitudes towards the environment and sexuality, so I was shocked to read working mothers are still a rare breed. Why so scarce? The country's half-day school system makes women feel they must choose between careers and kids.

Now more and more schools are beginning to offer after-school programs and all-day classes, but women who have signed up their kids have been criticized, even ostracized, for the choice. One woman was yelled at by another mother while another was called Rabenmutter (raven mother) after the black bird who pushes her chicks out of the nest. If you can't take care of your children, the thinking goes, you shouldn't have them.

It sounds archaic and crazy, but it quickly made sense when I learned this: all-day school and daycare are synonymous with communism. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the female employment rate was 90 percent in East Germany and 55 percent in the West. Women were expected to work, sometimes physically demanding jobs, in the East and often put their children in daycare as early as possible.

But in a country with one of the lowest birth rates — 1.38 children per woman — and a labor shortage looming, Germans are starting to come around. A few years ago, all-day school was impossible to talk about and now it's just a matter of implementing well. “This is a taboo," said German labor minister Ursula von der Leyen, "we just can’t afford anymore."

Source: Flickr User Pensiero

Stay away from the water cooler! Don't be surprised if employers begin doubting scientific claims that pregnancy is not contagious.With fertility rates climbing through the roof, offices around the country are experiencing a baby boom that doesn't show any signs of stopping. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 61 percent of new or expectant mothers worked in 2008, up from 56 percent in the preceding three years. Here at Sugar, we welcomed nine bundles of joy over the course of the past year, and we are already expecting two more this year.

Going through pregnancy with co-workers can make the nine months easier. Colleagues share eating and sleeping tips and can bounce ideas off of each other. According to The Wall Street Journal, a growing number of companies are welcoming their workforce pregnancies "through flexibility, child-care help or babies-at-work programs."

Did you experience a baby boom at your office?

There's hardly a more exciting time in someone's life than when they discover they are willfully pregnant. Most mamas-to-be want to scream it from the mountain tops but there's usually one ear they'd like to shield — their boss's. Many women try to hide their expectant status until it is blatantly obvious to co-workers and their higher-ups because they don't know how their news will be received. Before she can give a due date, employers' minds are ticking: Who can replace her? Will she come back? Do we even need her? While those are all valid questions, it is often up to the childbearing woman to make those decisions, which is why some are wondering if motherhood is making women more unemployable.

The Vogue UK Editor Alexandra Shulman has sparked a debate that will leave many moms angry and others nodding their heads in agreement. Worried about Britain's maternity leave laws, she believes new mothers may be doing themselves a disservice if they take a year-long leave and then expect to return to the same benefits as before but with lower professional expectations. British designer Anya Hindmarch supports her view. She quips:

If we are not careful (and I speak as a mother and an employer), maternity leave and benefits will become too biased towards the mother and not considerate enough for the employer... In which case, it can start to work against women as it becomes too complicated and expensive to employ them. To me, it shouts of shooting ourselves in the foot.

Do you believe that longer maternity leave and flexible work schedules are working against women in the workplace?

Pregnancy is to be celebrated but there are rare occasions when a woman tries to hide her expectant status to reap the benefits of a vacant womb, especially in the workplace. In the "Never Judge a Lady by Her Lover" episode of Desperate Housewives, Carlos gives Lynette a promotion that she initially tries to reject knowing she has two babies in her belly. When the boss man mentions the salary increase, she quickly takes the offer and keeps her mouth shut about her impending arrivals. As he walks out the door, he admits he is giving the job to Lynette because the other candidate appears to be pregnant, making Lynette the more attractive option of the two.

Did you try to hide your pregnancy for job reasons?

Video courtesy of ABC

Pack your bags working moms, we're going on a guilt trip. As if there's not enough blame to push on the working mother, a new report came out giving those of us in the work force another reason to feel self-conscience for bringing home some bacon. A British study found that children of working mums spent more time watching television and had poorer eating habits than their peers with stay-at-home moms. While that may be the case, there are ways to skirt that issue. For instance, when I found out my nanny was taking my daughter to the bakery every day for a cookie, I thanked her for the kind gesture and then kindly asked her to refrain from the tasty pastry stop unless it was for a special occasion. Where there's a will, there's a way, which means parents may have to put forth the extra effort to set up guidelines for the caretaker but it is by no means a given that a working mommy's child should be less fit and healthy than its counterparts.

Do you have certain restrictions outlined for your nanny?

For many working mamas, the opportunity to dress up and head into the office is about more than just bringing home the bacon. Lots of ladies enjoy the adult company, the mental stimulation, and the break from their home lives. While it may sound like an idyllic opportunity for the whole family to work and play together on a daily basis, many mums and pops may not accept the offer. When asked if she would want to work alongside her hubby on the silver screen again, actress Jennifer Garner told the press:

"The question keeps coming up, and we have literally never spoken about it . . . He's a beautiful director and such a gorgeous writer but, you know, to go to work with him, I would just be like, 'I need to go home to the kids.'"

Could you work alongside hubby?

Back-to-school jitters aren't only reserved for lil ones. Parents can be just as anxious as they prepare for the child's first day in a new classroom.

For working parents, the return to school often involves some calendar choreography to manage work commitments during the same time frame. But for many, it is well worth taking a vacation day to ensure that they can be there to see their tots off and pick them up at dismissal.

With most of the nation's schools back in session, did you take work off for the first day of school?

Serve one up for all of the mothers out there. The decision to return to work after the birth of a baby can be hard. For professional athletes, the preparation requires more than just emotional strength but physical preparation.

Once ranked the number-one tennis player in the world, Kim Clijsters retired from the sport in May 2007 with the intent to marry her boyfriend and start a family. In February 2008, she gave birth to daughter Jada Ellie before announcing her intention to return to the tennis the following year.

This afternoon, Clijsters topped Li Na to move on to the U.S. Open's semi-final round for the first time since 2005. After Clijsters's recent win over third-ranked Venus Williams, CBS Sports' Mary Jo Fernandez asked the mother, 26, about returning to work with a child in tow.

Check out what the athletic mama had to say:

• On how hard it was to return. I've been working really hard the last 7-8 months, and I'm enjoying it. I think that's really something important for myself as well, as long as I can focus on tennis, but on the outside have fun as well. Tennis is a great sport, but I'm just happy that we can have a family and I can balance both.
• On how she balances work and family. We have help, so that's great, but it's fun. . . . To your daughter, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, she's just happy to see me and that's great.
• On how she prepared to re-enter the game: I have to admit that I only just started watching tennis at the start of this year, because I didn't really have that much time. With the baby running around, I was just happy to sleep when she was sleeping as well.

When a friend returned to work after maternity leave, a couple of her childless colleagues voiced envy of what they considered her "four month vacation." It sounds like they were perfect candidates for The Office Kid ($20). Invented by self-described "20 something childless advertising drones" who were jealous of their co-workers kidcentric excuses for missing work and wondered if the offspring even existed, the create-a-kid kit was born.

Anyone looking to impersonate a parent around the workplace can purchase the starter pack which includes a welcome letter and excuses, a framed picture of the child and art work to display in the office cubicle. For an additional $10, a doctor's note, more artwork or a sports team photograph can be bought.