Children a fear factor for women who want to work

AN ALARMING one in three women believe having children will harm their career, particularly Dublin-based working mums.

Part-time working mothers are most convinced with four in 10 agreeing starting a family will hamper career prospects. Furthermore, one in five women nationally said they had been asked questions about family plans and childcare arrangements in performance review meetings.

More than half of women in the Capital agree starting a family will hamper their career prospects. Nationally, 34% of women subscribe to this view, with the notable exception of working mums in Munster where four in 10 strongly disagree that having children is an obstacle to progression in the workplace.