O

H

,

 

B

A

B

Y

!

Are you happy with the decision you made to work outside the home or stay at home when you became a parent? Why or why not?

Do you think it's more difficult for men or for women to pursue a career and meet the needs and challenges of parenthood simultaneously—or is the path, and challenge, pretty much the same (or, equally the same)? Please explain:

Do you think it's possible to "have it all"--a successful career and a satisfying home life--at the same time? Why or why not?

Did you have to make any financial sacrifices when you became a parent? In what ways? What added expenses were you most surprised by?

Were you and your spouse in agreement as to whether one of you would stay at home with the children or both of you would work outside the home? If not, how did you resolve your differences?

What was the most frequent piece of advice that you received from friends, family or peers about combining work and family? Did this influence your decision to either return to work or to become a stay-at-home parent?

What do you find to be the MOST difficult challenge about working and being a parent of a young child? In what ways has your career/job suffered?

In what ways has your career/job benefited from your experience as a parent?

Think back to when your children were babies. What were the most significant challenges that new parenthood posed on your ability to do your job (managing reliable childcare, fatigue, time, etc.)?

How "family-friendly" would you describe your workplace? For example, are they understanding when you have to take time off to care for a sick child or daycare falls through?

How were your career goals or priorities affected when you had a child? For example, were you less or more eager to seek advancement? Did you change jobs to secure more money or a more flexible schedule?

Do you work outside the home because you want to (you enjoy your career) or have to (for financial reasons) or both?

If money weren't a consideration, would you leave your job to stay home with your child(ren)? Why or why not?

Have you found that it has become easier/harder/about the same to work and raise a child as your child(ren) becomes older and why?

In juggling a career and parenthood the second/third/fourth time around as you had more children, what things became easier? What became more difficult?

If you worked outside the home when your child was a baby, what type of daycare did you utilize? Were you pleased/displeased with this choice and why?

How do you think your child(ren) is/are doing as a result of your decision to work outside the home?

When you had your first baby, did you plan to return to a career outside the home and then changed your mind? What issues factored into your decision to change your mind?

If you have two or more children and now stay at home (or work from home), did you make that decision with the first child, or when you had your second (or third) child? Why was it done this way?

Do you have any regrets about staying home? For example, do you miss being in the "adult world," the paychecks, or find that staying home isn't as easy as you'd thought it would be?

Do you feel that the work you do at home is as valuable as that in the workplace? Why or why not?

If you work from home at a job in addition to caring for the children, what kind of work do you do? From a productivity standpoint, how does working from home compare to working in an office?

Would you consider returning to the workplace in the future? If so, why and under what circumstances?

Do you feel pressured by your spouse or financial difficulties to return to work? How do you feel about that?

How do you think your child(ren) is/are doing as a result of your decision to be a stay-at-home parent?

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Please fill in the following information if you checked the first or second options above. We will never reveal your contact information to anyone, but we may contact you for further clarification of your answers if we use your material.

THANK YOU!!!