Career Choices of Young Mothers

The issue of young female´s career choices is associated with many dilemmas as well as problems, making work and childcare very hard to balance. Finding an ideal, family-worthy partner takes a long time and is not an easy task. When the responsibilities associated with taking care of the household and children begin, especially when the mother goes back to work after maternity or parental leave, many disagreements between the partners may appear. Going back to work after maternity or parental leave goes hand in hand with the uncertainty of finding a position that correlates with having children. In the Czech Republic, there is a discrimination of mothers being overlooked by the majority of people, so employers don´t make it easy for new mothers. Czech family policy offers a number of benefits that ease the situation of pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood and parenthood. They are primarily focused on the social and health needs of women. Other means of combining work and childcare can be flexible forms of employment, daycare facilities, or intergenerational solidarity, especially the traditional help from the grandparents. The practical part of this thesis contains qualitative research. Data were collected from semi-standardized interviews with eight communication partners using snowball sampling method. The sample therefore contained pregnant young women and mothers of children up to the age of nine. The interviews lasted several hours and took place at home of the communication partners in a friendly atmosphere. The goal of the research was to get to know the career choices of young women dealing with maternity, because they usually remain the primary caretakers. The main research question was how and why young new mothers decide between career and motherhood. According to the answer, additional research questioned were asked. They were divided into five main areas. Results were processed using coding method. The results show that the most important factor when deciding whether to have children is finding an ideal partner. Employer´s reaction to a pregnancy announcement usually wasn´t problematic for the communication partners. Going back to work or looking for a job after maternity or parental leave is directly related mainly to previous work experiences. Terms of the contract signed before the maternity or parental leave may give an assurance to some extent. The communication partners are familiar with the discrimination against women in the labor market, and they are of the opinion, that there´s nothing they can do about it. Women who will have to find a new job accept the need to lower their expectations and demands in the labor market, at least in the beginning of their maternity. Those more experienced with job search also lowered their expectations about the financial terms of employment and also had to accept worse positions. The most popular means of combining work and childcare among the communication partners are kindergarten/daycare centers, afterschool clubs and the help of their grandparents. Equal distribution of housework is also notable problem for the communication partners, especially right after their return to work. Let this thesis be beneficial to all young women deciding between career and motherhood. It should contribute to understanding of this dilemma and all the problems associated with it