In a society where the majority of mothers are joining or returning to the workforce, there is a growing body of research documenting the demands placed on these women and what can be done to facilitate their transition into the labor market. this new role. According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2012, 70.5 percent of mothers of children under the age of 18 were in the labor force; of these women, 73.7% were employed full-time, working more than 35 hours per week, and 26.3% were employed part-time, working less than 35 hours per week (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012 ). Given this information, it becomes increasingly important to further research into how this new employee role affects parenting and what can be done to ease this transition. The purpose of this article is to compare the experiences of a working mother to current research on the topic of working mothers. Additionally, this article discusses the demands placed on working mothers as well as the factors that facilitate their transition to this new role. To better understand the role of a working mother, I interviewed my mother, Jane Smith. Smith currently works forty or more hours per week as an office manager for a family business. His job requires him to be at work from eight in the morning until five or six in the evening from Monday to Friday. In addition to her role as an employee, she is currently married and the mother of four daughters. These girls are between thirteen and twenty-one years old; Of these four girls, three live at home with family while the other is currently completing a year of study abroad in Germany. Smith has been a working mother for seven years, before working as a stay-at-home mom. His job requires it...... middle of article ...... one study found that government assistance (e.g. child care assistance) was less effective than work and family support to reduce this conflict, unless the support provided is extended maternity leave after the birth of the child (Abendroth et al., 2012). References Abendroth, A., van, d . L. and Maas, I. (2012). Social support and working hours of employed mothers in Europe: the relevance of state, workplace and family. Social Science Research, 41(3), 581-597. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.12.008Countermine, M. (2014). Parenting conference. Personal collection of Mr. Countermine, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.Smith, Jane. Personal interview. April 13, 2014 United States Department of Labor. (2012). Latest annual data. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/recentfacts.htm#mothers