妈妈们的选择

Working Mothers Give Themselves Lower Parenting Marks （1/3）

　　There has been a shift in attitudes among American mothers over the last decade about full-time employment. According to the Pew Research Center, more working mothers now say part-time work is the ideal situation, and they give themselves lower marks as parents than stay-at-home moms.

　　The debate over what's best for mothers — to stay at home or go out and work — has resurfaced with a new survey.

　　What these mothers told NBC News echoed what a larger sample of working and stay-at-home moms said nationwide. In the Pew survey, 60 percent of the employed mothers said part-time work would be best for them and their families. Only 48 percent felt that way in 1997. Among stay-at-home moms, nearly half said their set-up was ideal, up from 39 percent a decade ago.

　　Rachel Hamman quit her job as an investment adviser two years ago to raise her children. She chronicled her experience in a book, Bye-Bye Boardroom. She says with the variety of choices now available for mothers — work full-time, part-time, have a flexible schedule, or stay home — having it all is simply a question of how you define "all."

　　「生词摘录」

　　shift n. 变化，移动
　　resurface v. 重新露面，重铺路面
　　echo v. 发回声，随声附和；反射，模仿，重复
　　nationwide adj. 全国性的
　　set-up n. 组织，结构
　　investment advisor n. 投资顾问
　　chronicle v. 编入编年史
　　boardroom n. 会议室，交换场所