MarketWatch (05/09/12)

The struggle to balance career and family starts in the earliest stages of parenthood, according to ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder’s annual study of working moms. One-in-four (26%) working moms who have had a child in the last three years reported they did not take the full maternity leave allowed by their company. One in 10 took two weeks or less.

Competitive work environments and demanding positions may be causing more women to reduce their time off from work after delivery. Almost half of working moms who’ve had a child in the past three years (44%) reported taking more than eight weeks of maternity leave, but 12% said they took two weeks or less. Forty percent were off work for six weeks or less.