Advantages of Working from Home:
- Increased family time
- Saves on some expenses
- Tax deductions
- Less stress
- Flexible schedules
Mothers working from home have more of a flexible schedule depending on the type of employment they seek. Telecommuting jobs will often have the mother working regular hours, with benefits and better pay. This can be both an advantage and disadvantage. First, when you are working for an actual company, you reap benefits such as health care, steady work, and regular pay; however, you do have to work a set amount of hours and be available to a boss. While you are able to take care of your children when they are sick or take an extended break to see to family issues like going to doctors appointments you will not have the flexible hours you would have with your own company. Therefore, you will have a more flexible schedule when you work from home, especially if you are an independent contractor. Now you can look at some savings.
When mothers work from home, they can deduct a portion of expenses from their taxes because they are using their home for a business. That means during tax time you will save a little money you might otherwise not been able to. Tax deductions are usually on monthly expenses such as electric, Internet, as well as equipment you may need to purchase for the career. You will also save expenses on transportation costs.
Mothers who work from home tend to drive less, which means putting less miles on the car and therefore they don’t need as much gas or maintenance. The last benefit for savings comes with the cost of day care. Day care for younger children can be several hundred dollars a month. This savings can be put towards other areas such as health care and still keep the mom family oriented.Along with any job choice a mother has, there is the opposite side of things. While you will have increased family time, save on expenses, better tax deductions, less stress, and flexible hours you are also cutting out certain things. First mothers working from home tend to make less, which can make the monthly expenses a little too much to handle.
Mothers working from home generally have to find health insurance because independent contractors are responsible for themselves. This can be quite costly when you consider it against the savings. You also have to look at the effectiveness of working from home as a mother. When mothers choose to work from home they have to set up boundaries for when they can handle interruptions. You may find your work ethic slipping because of the interruptions. On the other hand, if you find a telecommuting company that gives you strict schedules you may find benefits and all the advantages of working from home.
Mothers working from home have to weigh the options of family when they consider working from home. Mothers want to be at home with their children and still make money enough to support their families. Often times with the changing economy and housing costs it is extremely difficult to work from home with a loss on income despite the overall savings. Mothers also feel guilt when they go off to work and leave their children in day care.
