Support groups grow for moms at work, at home

Knight Ridder News Service

"Dual-centric": One week a woman might put work over family, and the next, family over work. The term was coined by the Families and Work Institute.

"Mommy track": The mommy track (as opposed to the fast track) came out of a 1989 Harvard Business Review article suggesting companies could retain female workers by offering mothers part-time work, flexible hours and childcare.

The article ignited a debate over whether companies would hire women if they were perceived to cost the company more, and that all working mothers would be marginalized on the mommy track at a time women were trying to break into many industries.

"Sequencing": Coined by Arlene Rossen Cardozo, author of the 1986 book by the same name. To sequence, a woman temporarily steps out of the workforce or at least scales back to raise children. When her kids are older, she returns to work.

There are groups springing up to support moms moving in and out of jobs or those who choose to stay at home:

• Mothers & More, the Network for Sequencing Women — The organization provides information, support and public policy advocacy for women who move in and out of the work force; www.mothersandmore.org.
• International Moms Club — a national network of support groups specifically for at-home mothers; www.momsclub.org.
• Mocha Moms — a national organization for stay-at-home mothers who are members of minority groups; www.mochamoms.org.