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Motherhood

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2005 Local Moms Survey Questions

1. How satisfied are you with your role as a mother: very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not too satisfied, or not satisfied at all?

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	99	87	12	1	1	*	1
Stay at home	99	87	12	1	1	0	0
Working	99	86	12	1	*	*	1

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2. Overall, how good a job do you feel you are doing as a mother - excellent, good, fair, or poor?

	Exc/Good			Fair/Poor			No op.
	NET	Exc.	Good	NET	Fair	Poor	No op.
Total	98	52	46	2	2	0	*
Stay at home	98	48	50	2	2	0	0
Working	97	55	43	3	3	0	*

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3. If you had to give me ONE WORD to describe how you feel as a mom, what would it be?

POSITIVE NET	80%
Happy	13
Proud	9
Fulfilled	8
Blessed	7
Great	4
Overjoyed/joyful	3
Satisfied	3
Wonderful	3
Excellent	2
Awesome	1
Challenged	1
Content	1
Ecstatic	1
Excited	1
Fortunate	1
Good	1
Grateful	1
Gratified	1
Honored	1
Love	1
Loved	1
Loving	1
Lucky	1
Nurturing	1
Privileged	1
Responsible	1
Rewarding	1
Terrific	1
Confident	*
Elated	*
Needed	*
Other positive mentions	10

NEGATIVE NET	17%
Tired	4
Busy	2
Overwhelmed	2
Exhausted	1
Frustrated	1
Stressed	1
Other negative mentions	4

Miscellaneous	2
Don't know	1

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4. Thinking of your role as a mother, how often would you say you feel (ITEM) these days: very often, fairly often, sometimes, or hardly ever?

a. Happy

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	59	31	9	*	*
Stay at home	65	27	9	0	0
Working	56	34	9	1	*

b. Guilty

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	5	10	35	41	9
Stay at home	6	9	35	43	8
Working	4	10	36	41	9

c. Loved

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	78	13	8	1	*
Stay at home	78	15	6	1	0
Working	78	12	9	*	*

d. Tired

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	46	21	27	5	*
Stay at home	43	28	23	4	1
Working	48	18	29	5	*

e. Stressed

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever
Total	26	25	39	11
Stay at home	23	25	40	12
Working	27	24	38	10

f. A sense of accomplishment

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	47	31	20	3	*
Stay at home	47	28	20	4	0
Working	47	32	20	2	*

g. Appreciated

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	40	28	27	5	*
Stay at home	42	28	24	6	0
Working	39	28	28	5	*

h. Worried

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	26	23	41	9	2
Stay at home	26	27	38	8	1
Working	26	21	43	9	2

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5. How many of your children under age 18 now live at home with you at least part time?

	One	Two	Three	Four +
Total	41	37	14	8
Stay at home	31	36	23	10
Working	46	38	10	6

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6. I'd like you to think about all the arrangements your family has made to care for your (child/children), whether it's staying home yourself or using some other child care arrangements.

Overall, how satisfied are you with the way your particular arrangements are working: very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not too satisfied , or not at all satisfied?

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	94	68	27	5	4	1	*
Stay at home	98	76	21	2	1	1	0
Working	92	62	30	7	6	1	1

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7. Do you think motherhood today is (more demanding) than it was for the previous generation, (less demanding), or about the same?

	More	Less	Same	No op.
Total	71	4	24	1
Stay at home	60	4	35	*
Working	77	4	18	1

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8. Do you think mothers today have (higher expectations) of themselves than the previous generation did, (lower expectations), or about the same?

	Higher	Lower	Same	No op.
Total	65	11	23	1
Stay at home	65	14	21	1
Working	65	10	24	1

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9. How often do you find it difficult to manage all of your responsibilities as a mother: very often, fairly often, sometimes, or hardly ever?

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)
Total	21	25	40	13	1
Stay at home	17	29	38	15	0
Working	23	23	41	11	1

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10. Are you currently married, living with a partner, widowed, divorced, separated, or have you never been married?

	Married	Partner	Widowed	Divorced	Separated	Never married
Total	70	7	1	7	4	11
Stay at home	77	7	2	3	1	9
Working	66	7	*	9	6	12

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11. In addition to being a mother, do you also have a paid job, or not?

	Yes	No	Usually, but currently unemployed / looking for work
Total	74	26	1
Stay at home	26	72	2
Working	100	0	*

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12. (IF HAS PAID JOB, OR USUALLY DOES) About how many hours (do you spend working at your/would you normally spend working at a) paid job in the average week?

	Less than 20	20-39	40	More than 40
Total	11	24	40	25
Stay at home	51	49	0	0
Working	5	19	47	29

12a. (IF WORKS LESS THAN 35 HOURS PER WEEK) Would you describe yourself as a "working mom" or a "stay at home" mom?

	Working	Stay at home
Total	49	51

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13. How satisfied are you with the amount of time you are able to spend (ITEM): very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not too satisfied, or not at all satisfied?

a. on yourself

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Fairly	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	50	14	36	50	37	13	*
Stay at home	61	20	41	39	29	10	0
Working	43	11	33	57	42	14	*

b. (IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH PARTNER) with your husband or partner

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Fairly	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	64	24	40	36	31	5	0
Stay at home	67	28	39	33	28	5	0
Working	61	20	41	39	34	5	0

c. with your (child/children)

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Fairly	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	86	53	32	14	13	2	0
Stay at home	99	83	16	1	1	*	0
Working	78	36	42	22	20	2	0

d. socializing with other adults

	Satisfied			Not satisfied			No op.
	NET	Very	Fairly	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	70	25	45	30	22	8	0
Stay at home	73	28	45	27	19	8	0
Working	68	23	46	32	24	8	0

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14. How much stress, if any, have the demands of motherhood put on (ITEM): a lot, some, a little, or none at all?

a. (IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH PARTNER) your relationship with your husband or partner

	Stress NET					No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	None	No op.
Total	81	15	39	27	19	0
Stay at home	89	12	38	38	11	0
Working	76	17	39	20	24	0

b. your relationships with your friends

	Stress NET					No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	None	No op.
Total	58	10	28	20	42	*
Stay at home	64	12	30	22	36	0
Working	55	9	26	20	45	*

c. (IF WORKING MOM) your relationships with your co-workers

	Stress NET					No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	None	No op.
Working	35	3	13	19	65	*

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15. Do you ever feel guilty when you take time away from your (child/children) to do something for yourself, or not?

	Yes	No	Don't do things for myself (vol.)	No op.
Total	49	49	3	*
Stay at home	46	52	2	0
Working	50	47	3	*

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16. Do you ever have second thoughts about your decision to have children, or not?

	Yes	No
Total	13	87
Stay at home	8	92
Working	15	85

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17. For each statement I read, please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree.

a. Mothers today are too focused on their children.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	34	11	23	65	31	34	1
Stay at home	33	13	20	65	30	35	2
Working	35	10	25	64	32	33	1

b. Most mothers I know are doing the best job they know how to do.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	91	67	24	8	5	3	*
Stay at home	89	64	25	10	8	3	*
Working	92	69	23	7	4	3	*

c. Sometimes I put too much pressure on myself to be the perfect mom.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	74	36	38	26	16	10	*
Stay at home	73	38	35	27	15	11	0
Working	74	34	40	26	16	10	*

d. Many mothers I meet are very competitive when it comes to their children.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	78	38	40	21	16	5	1
Stay at home	76	40	36	23	18	5	1
Working	80	37	42	19	15	4	2

e. Most workplaces are set up to handle the needs of working mothers.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	23	7	17	71	26	44	6
Stay at home	20	6	14	69	26	42	11
Working	25	7	18	72	27	46	3

f. Society has set expectations too high for modern mothers.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	64	27	37	35	24	11	1
Stay at home	63	29	34	35	23	13	2
Working	64	26	39	35	25	10	1

g. Society values the work mothers do.

	Agree			Disagree			No op.
	NET	Strg.	Smwht.	NET	Not too	At all	No op.
Total	51	13	37	49	27	22	1
Stay at home	50	17	34	49	27	23	*
Working	51	11	40	48	26	22	1

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18. How often, if ever, do you feel that other mothers are judging your parenting choices - very often, fairly often, sometimes, or hardly ever?

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)	No op.
Total	15	16	34	34	1	1
Stay at home	16	22	36	25	1	1
Working	14	13	32	39	1	1

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19. How often, if ever, do you rely on other mothers for advice or emotional support - very often, fairly often, sometimes, or hardly ever?

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)	No op.
Total	13	19	37	26	5	*
Stay at home	16	22	33	26	3	0
Working	11	17	40	26	6	*

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21. (IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH PARTNER) Overall, who would you say spends more time taking care of your (child/children): you, or your husband or partner, or do you share that responsibility equally?

	You	Husband/ partner	Shared equally
Total	68	4	28
Stay at home	86	0	14
Working	57	7	36

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22. (IF RESPONDENT SPENDS MORE TIME) Does that ever bother you, or not? IF YES: Does that bother you a lot, some, or just a little?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Total	48	8	28	11	52	0
Stay at home	34	4	20	10	66	0
Working	61	12	36	13	39	0

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23. (IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH PARTNER) Who is more responsible for arranging and coordinating your (child/children)'s day-to-day activities, such as doctor's visits, homework, play dates, and sports: you, or your husband or partner, or do you share that responsibility equally?

	You	Husband/ partner	Shared equally
Total	85	1	14
Stay at home	97	0	3
Working	76	2	22

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24. (IF RESPONDENT IS MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES) Does that ever bother you, or not? IF YES: Does that bother you a lot, some, or just a little?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Total	31	5	18	8	69	0
Stay at home	20	4	12	5	80	0
Working	41	6	24	10	59	0

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25. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) Not counting maternity leave, have you worked continuously since your first child was born, or have you stopped working at some point to stay home full time?

	Worked continuously	Stopped working at some point	No op.
Working	62	37	1

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26. (ASKED OF STAY-AT-HOME MOMS) Have you been a stay-at-home mom since your first child was born, or did you work for some period of time between now and then?

	Stayed at home since first child	Worked for some period of time	No op.
Stay at home	46	54	0

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27. How often, if ever, do you have second thoughts about your decision to (work/stay at home) - very often, fairly often, sometimes, or hardly ever?

	Very often	Fairly often	Some- times	Hardly ever	Never (vol.)	No op.
Total	10	7	24	47	12	*
Stay at home	7	8	20	49	16	0
Working	11	6	26	46	11	1

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28. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) What best describes your financial situation: If I didn't work: My family could maintain about the same lifestyle; We could get by, but would have to change our lifestyle; or, There is no way we could get by financially.

	Maintain lifestyle	Get by, but have to change lifestyle	Could not get by financially	No op.
Working	11	45	44	0

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29. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) As a working mother, which would you say is tougher: the (mom) part or the (job) part?

	Mom	Job	Both	No op.
Working	63	29	7	1

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30. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) Do you ever feel your job suffers because of your responsibilities as a mother, or not? IF YES: Is that a lot, some, or just a little?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Working	30	3	14	13	70	0

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31. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) Do you ever feel your job as a mother suffers because of your responsibilities at work, or not? IF YES: Is that a lot, some, or just a little?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Working	55	11	28	16	45	0

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32. Given your family's current financial situation, would you say your current balance between staying home and working is what's best for:

	You AND your child/ren	You, but not your child/ren	Your child/ren, but not for you	No op.
Total	74	8	17	1
Stay at home	72	5	23	0
Working	75	10	13	2

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33. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) Please tell me if you've ever done any of the following specifically to spend more time with your (child/children).

	Yes	No	No op.
a. cut back the hours you worked	53	47	*
b. shifted the hours you worked, such as arriving or leaving earlier	81	19	*
c. changed jobs	40	60	0
d. turned down a promotion or new responsibilities	38	62	0
e. worked from home or telecommuted on a regular basis	28	72	0

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34. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) If you could live as well as you do now WITHOUT working, would you choose to: Continue working the same amount; Continue working, but work fewer hours or fewer days per week; or, Stop working altogether?

	Continue working			Stop working	No op.
	NET	Same amount	Fewer hours/days	Stop working	No op.
Working	77	15	61	23	*

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35. Would you agree or disagree with the following statement:

I have not achieved everything I could have in my life, because of the sacrifices I have made for my family.

	Agree	Disagree	No op.
Total	49	51	*
Stay at home	44	55	*
Working	52	48	*

35a. (IF AGREE) Does that bother you a lot, some, a little, or not at all?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Total	69	8	31	30	31	*
Stay at home	75	9	28	38	25	0
Working	66	8	32	26	34	*

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36. Has anyone ever criticized you or made you feel guilty about your decision to be a (working mom/stay at home mom), or not?

	Yes	No	No op.
Total	33	67	*
Stay at home	41	59	0
Working	28	71	1

36a. (IF YES) Does that bother you a lot, some, a little, or not at all?

	Yes				No	No op.
	NET	A lot	Some	A little	No	No op.
Total	65	21	25	18	35	0
Stay at home	62	16	28	17	38	0
Working	67	26	23	18	33	0

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37. Thinking about your friends who are (working/stay at home) moms, has the difference in your situations as mothers ever caused strain in your relationship with any of these friends, or not?

	Yes	No	Don't have friends in this situation (vol.)	No op.
Total	16	78	6	1
Stay at home	22	75	3	*
Working	13	79	7	1

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38. (ASKED IF MARRIED) Has the decision whether to stay home or to work ever been a source of tension in your marriage, or not?

	Yes	No	No op.
Total	21	79	1
Stay at home	16	83	1
Working	24	76	*

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39. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

In general, it is better for a child if one of the parents stays home full-time.

	Agree	Disagree	No op.
Total	64	34	2
Stay at home	88	10	3
Working	51	48	1

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40. If money is not an issue, and a mother is happiest working, do you think it would be better for the mother: (to work, because if she's more personally satisfied she'll be a better mother to her children), or (to stay home, because taking care of her children should take priority over her personal satisfaction).

	Work	Stay home	Depends	No op.
Total	60	30	8	2
Stay at home	52	37	9	2
Working	65	27	7	2

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41. (ASKED OF WORKING MOMS) What kind of child care do you use on a regular basis: a day care center, day care in someone else's home, a nanny, a family member, an aftercare or after-school program or something else? (Multiple responses allowed)

Day care center (not in a home)	17
Day care in someone else's home	10
Nanny	4
Family member	23
Aftercare OR after-school program	15
Au pair	*
Babysitter	2
Friends/neighbors	1
School/school activities	2
Something else	2
Nothing/None/No child care	31
No opinion	*

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