Six in 10 employed mothers in the US find part-time work appealing, although only roughly a quarter of them actually have part-time hours, according to the Pew Research Center's "Fewer Women Prefer Full-Time Work" report, released in July 2007.
The study also found that the percentage of mothers working part time has not increased in the last decade. About half of unmarried mothers in 1997 preferred full-time hours, while just over a quarter want such hours now.
Work hours were related to satisfaction in parenting. Only 28% of full-time working mothers gave themselves the highest rating as a parent, while 41% of part-time working moms and 43% of stay-at-home moms did.
By comparison, nearly three-quarters of fathers think that full-time work is ideal.