Working moms’ woes

This isn’t likely to surprise anyone who has children, but working mothers are struggling to juggle their work and home life, according to the results of a survey from online job site CareerBuilder.com.

Based on responses from 594 working mothers with children at home under the age of 18, the survey shows that 25% of respondents are dissatisfied with their balance of work and life. Here are some of the other highlights:

*Long hours are the norm for 36% of working mothers. These women put in more than 40 hours a week, excluding commute time. This limits family time. Before work, 53% of working mothers spent one hour or less with their children. After work, 55% spent three to six hours with the kids.

*Half of the respondents said they work under a great deal of stress. And of those who work more than 40 hours per week, 64% reported working under a great deal of stress.

*Of the many who have made work style adjustments to better balance work and life, 71% said it didn’t have an adverse impact on their career progress. Just under 40% of working moms take advantage of flex time, while 20% leave work early to attend family events or take their children to appointments. Finally, 16% take personal days to handle family demands.

“The key to balancing time effectively is setting boundaries and priorities ahead of time both at home and at work,” says Mary Delaney, chief sales officer at CareerBuilder.com and a mother of three.  “Planning for priorities a month or week in advance can help to replace a stressful juggling act with a manageable schedule.”