Should you stay at home to look after your child，or return to work?
Maybe you don’t have the option.Combining work and motherhood is an issue faced by increasing numbers of women every day.
New research for the Institute for Economic and Social Research could solve this quandary once and for all.In short，it concludes that going back to work after the birth of a child can have a negative impact on the child’s development—unless you have lots of money.
“Growing up in a family in which the mother chooses to work appears to have some adverse consequences for children’s welfare，” the research says.However，it adds that extra money brought in by both parents can reduce the negative effect.The negative effect is also less apparent in children of bettereducated mothers.
The research by John Ermisch and Marco Francesconi is especially downbeat about welfare to work programmes，and especially，the prospects for the children of some single parents.
“It is hard to see anything but gloomy (阴暗的) prospects for the children of single parents (who are generally poor)，” the researchers said.This is because in a common family where both parents work，extra money brought in by the mother’s working would compensate for less time spent with the children.
In contrast，the researchers said the effects of paternal (父亲的) employment were far more modest，but this did not mean that fathers had no role in shaping their children’s welfare.Money brought in by the father would be a major resource for helping children develop.
The research says，however，that before parents get too carried away by worrying about working，there are more important issues facing a child’s development.Parents’ personalities and emotional stability，parenting practices，and the friends and networks that children experience while growing up will be much bigger factors than whether their mothers work.
小题1:The extra money brought in by both parents________.
A．plays different roles in shaping a child’s welfare
B．can reduce the negative effect on a child
C．has negative effect on a child’s development
D．may damage the life of children小题2:The researchers would agree that________.
A．mothers should keep a balance between work and family life
B．the more money mothers make，the worse their children will be
C．mothers should make as much money as they can
D．it would be better for mothers to be with children at home小题3:We can conclude from the passage that________.
A．it doesn’t matter how much money a father brings home
B．education is the only factor in shaping a child’s welfare
C．money made by mothers can also contribute to a child’s wellbeing
D．mothers’ income can have a deeper effect on a child’s development小题4:What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Whether mothers work is not worth considering.
B．The research shows family stability is important.
C．Parents should stop worrying about working.
D．More important factors are involved in a child’s development.
