Abstract
This study examines the evolving role of mothers in contemporary society, with particular focus on the intersection between maternal employment and child development outcomes. As women's workforce participation has increased globally, traditional motherhood paradigms centred on full-time homemaking have been significantly transformed. This research critically analyzes the complex relationship between maternal career pursuit and child socialization processes, challenging simplistic correlations between maternal employment and juvenile behavioural problems. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, findings suggest that maternal employment itself is not inherently detrimental to child development; rather, contextual factors, including work-family policies, quality of alternative care arrangements, family support systems, and equitable distribution of domestic responsibilities, significantly mediate outcomes. While inadequate support structures may create tensions between maternal employment and optimal child development, appropriate policies and practices can facilitate positive outcomes for both mothers and children. This paper contributes to contemporary discourse by moving beyond binary frameworks that position maternal career pursuit and effective child socialization as inherently competing priorities, instead highlighting conditions under which these goals can be mutually reinforcing across diverse cultural contexts.