Working Mothers’ Career Aspirations and Priorities Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic resulted in a proliferation of job-related and family stressors for many working mothers. The purpose of the current study is to explore working mothers’ career aspirations and priorities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current sample consisted of 168 working mothers in the United States who responded to open-ended questions developed to understand how they perceived that the COVID-19 pandemic affected their career progression, career aspirations, and priorities. Thematic analysis of these open-ended questions revealed a change in career aspirations for many working mothers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, thematic analysis also indicated that some working mothers shifted their priorities away from their career trajectory and towards family, health, and stability. Three subthemes emerged from working mothers’ descriptions of placing greater priority on family following the pandemic: shifting priorities away from work concerns to family needs, increased focus on time spent with family, and recognition that family should not be taken for granted. The findings of the present study attempt to gain a more nuanced understanding of the pandemic’s effect on working mothers’ attitudes towards their career trajectories, priorities, and families in a post-pandemic worker landscape.