It is a wellestablished finding in the literature on development that maternal education and work are positively associated with better health and educational outcomes for children. 21 A recent meta-study also suggests that children in the United States with working mothers do as well if not better in school, both academically and behaviorally, than children with mothers that stay home full time.
This effect is particularly strong for families that have fewer social and economic resources, including single-parent families. 22 As time goes on, girls with working mothers are more likely to be employed and hold supervisory positions, and they earn somewhat more. In addition, sons raised in families with  18  Bureau of Labor (1889). Goldin (2006), p. 4.