In a Letter to the Editor of The New York Times, Prof. Tovah Klein, director of Barnard's Center for Toddler Development, addresses the ongoing debate about work-life balance for women. Citing the Toddler Center's "Parenting Young Children Study," she writes:
"In our study of 240 parents with professional careers, most felt overwhelmed by the conflicting demands of raising children and career but desired to do both well. When one had to give, mothers were not willing to sacrifice family.
Climbing professional ladders is front-loaded in years that coincide with fertility and child-rearing; clashes between family and career needs are inevitable. Workplace changes — on-site child care, flexibility and paid parental leaves — would be a start. Envisioning careers over longer time lines with more varied trajectories, not simply success in the early years, is another."
Read the full letter.
Prof. Klein's research examines parenting, the impact of trauma on young children, and toddler play. She is a developmental advisor for Sesame Street and serves on the advisory boards for Room to Grow, Rawanda Educational Assistance Project and NYC Voices of Childhood.
