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Hht (SamecocR New report shows mothers returning to work sooner after giving birth by Genaro C. Armas Associated Press WASHINGTON — Kirsten Ross gave birth to her second child seven weeks ago and was back at work as soon as she got home from the hospital. In between changing diapers and ba by talk, Ross runs a business out of her Warren, Mich., home that helps working mothers like herself find alternative arrangements to balance job responsibil ities with family. A Census Bureau report out Tuesday shows more mothers like Ross are re turning to the labor force within a year of giving birth. And when they do go back to work, it’s more likely on a full-time rather than part-time basis. This doesn’t mean, though, that all these women are spending 40-hour weeks in an office cubicle while their children sit in day care. In this tight labor market, more employers are offering flexible work schedules and benefits to new moms, and others are working from home. “Working mothers can command it, because there’s such a shortage of good qualified candidates that employers need to start thinking about what (candidates) are looking for,” Ross said. Despite liking her old job, she left in May to start her business, Wmiens-Work, LLC, reaching out to other women. Of the 3.6 million women who gave birth from July 1997 through June 1998, about 59 percent returned to the work force within a year, Census esti mates show. That compares With 31 per cent in 1976, the year the Census Bureau began tracking the data, and 51 percent in 1987. Of the new mothers most recently checked, 36 percent went back full-time, 17 percent part-time, and nearly 6 per cent were unemployed but actively seek ing work. It was the first time the bureau looked at full- or part-time status, Cen sus analyst Amaru Bachu said. The report did not track how many of the mothers who returned to work ac tually performed that work at home. The latest Bureau of Libor Statistics data, from May 1997, indicates one-fifth of all work ing mothers with children under 18 worked full- or part-time at home. “Women are exercising their options a little more,” said Catherine Carbone Rogers, spokeswoman for Mothers & More, an organization for women who have altered their career path to care for children at home. “In a competitive la bor market... there’s a little more of a mentality of ‘doing what’s best for me,’ not ‘what society expects of me.’” But the tendency to return to work has a lot to do with a mother’s educa tional background and the family’s in come, Bachu said. For instance, of the women who gave birth in the previous year: —Of those with at least one year of college, slightly more than two-thirds went back to work compared with 58 percent of those who were high school graduates and 38 percent of those lack ing high school diplomas. —Two-thirds with a family income of more than $75,000 returned to the la bor force, compared with three-fifths with a family income of $20,000-524,999 and half with a family income of $10,000 $19,999. The Census findings highlight the im portance of improving child care options for working parents, said Judy Apple baum, vice president of the National Women’s Law Center. “It’s just a continuation of trends that we’ve seen,” Applebaum said. “Both par ents need to support the family, and that produces this crunch for child care that we in this country need to respond to.” Initiatives such as an emeigency nan ny service and letting employees work up to three days from home are impor tant in retaining all types of workers, said Evelyne Steward, vice president for work life initiatives at Discovery Communi cations Inc. in Bethesda, Md. “From a bottom-line perspective, we believe it will help attract good workers and top talent,” Steward said. Some mothers looking to go back to work face more dilemmas than just child care, Rogers said. “Even when flexible options are . offered, some mothers turn it down be cause it may mean you are marginalized at work. It may mean they are going to be denied promotion,” she said. “They feel like they can’t make those career trade-offs.” Sheryl Alcock of Clayton, Calif., quit her job as a preschool teacher after the first of her two children was bom 4 1/2 years ago. She plans to return to work eventually, but right now wants to con centrate on raising her son and 14-month old daughter. “It’s understandable that people have to go to work, but it’s fine if you’re also a stay-at-home mom,” she said. “I’m for tunate I can do it, and if I couldn’t, I’d be working outside the home, too.” ‘Women are exercising their options a little more. In a competitive labor market...there’s a little more of a mentality of ‘doing what’s best for me', not ‘what soci ety expects of me.” Catherine Carbone Spokeswoman for Mothers & More Mideast from page 4 an effort to keep gunmen out of the vil lage perched over a riverbed facing Gi lo, a Jewish Jerusalem neighborhood. At a Palestinian Cabinet meeting head ed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the ministers issued a statement saying Israel was attempting to get “by force and at tacks, what it cannot get through nego tiations.” In response to nearly a month of fitt ing, Barak on Sunday called a “timeout” in the peace process, a move Sharon had uiged, and launched talks with the op position leader. Barak and Sharon met for several hours Monday and their teams held additional talks Tuesday in an effort to hammer out an agreement for shared control of a unity government. Sharon, who leads the right-wing Likud party, reportedly demanded mea sures to ensure his equal say in whether the peace process is renewed. Barak, whose team was also meeting with other political factions, hopes tc fomi a majority coalition before parlia ment returns from a three-month recess Sunday. Palestinians and Israeli liberals have warned that Sharon’s inclusion in the gov ernment would crush the peace process. “Sharon is simply not interested ir the peace process,” said Ziad Abu Antr. a Palestinian political analyst. Palestinians revile Sharon, who be lieves Israel should cling to land capturec in the 1967 Mideast war rather than trade it for a peace agreement with the Pales tinians. Barak’s decision to withdraw from the peace process, at least temporarily, has put on hold seven years of grinding negotiations with the Palestinians. There was little hope of new talks, and both sides have raised the possibility of unilateral actions. The Palestinians have spoken of declaring a Palestinian state without Israel’s agreement, while Israel has warned it is considering a “unilater al separation” from the Palestinians that would include setting boundaries. Albright 'from page 4 impetus for proposals to build a U.S. national missile defense system. North Korea has already agreed to freeze its nuclear weapons program and to stop selling missiles to regimes the United States considers hostile. Albright said she would report back to President Clinton and he would de-' tide whether the time was right for him to visit North Korea. Toasting Kim in palatial Magnolia Hall where she was host for a parting dinner, Albright was struck by the im probability of a cordial visit to a com munist land the United States, until re cently, called a rogue state. “I never expected to play the role of host for such a gathering as this,” she said An aide to Kim said in his toast that North Korea looked forward to more steps toward a reconciliation. The officials dined in a six-sided room in a vast hall glowing with bril liant light, in sharp contrast to a state where many North Koreans, even near the capital, use candles and oil lamps in the face of an electricity shortage and their poverty. “Chairman Kim was quite clear in explaining his understanding of U.S. concerns,” Albright said, describing him as “agood listener and very decisive.” Before opening the talks Tuesday, Kim told Albright, the first U.S. offi cial he had ever met, “I don’t think the three hours of discussions we had yes . terday were enough to break the silence of 50 years.” Albright said they also discussed security issues, terrorism, human rights, missing persons and “the need for con crete steps toward tension reduction on the Korean peninsula.” “It is important that we work to overcome the enmities of the past and focus on a brighter future for our peoples,” Albright said. Before returning home, Albright scheduled a stop in Seoul on Wednes day to tell South Korean and Japanese officials about her meetings with Kim. China expressed hope that the U.S. North Korean talks would help bring stability to the Korean peninsula. “Wfe hope that this momentum will be maintained so that relations will be further improved,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hz Bangzhao said Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Albright ventured out into the countryside for a lunch held by Jo Myong Rok, Kim’s top aide, at a rural guest house. Trees along the route from capital were ablaze wifh color. Toasting her host there, Albright said: “The U.S. loves peace and we want to see Cold Whr divisions end We want countries to feel secure from the threats, conflict and war.” In his remarks, Jo said the U.S. North Korean relationship “that has been frozen so deep over the past several decades is now reaching the his toric moment of thawing.” Jo, whose toast was read by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan, said he was convinced Albright’s visit would lead to “further improved break throughs” in the relationship between their countries. Indeed, Albright was seeking to lay the groundwork for a visit by Clinton as early as next month. White House spokesman Jake Siewert said the president would not decide whether to make the trip until Albright’s return. “We have some hope of resolving our outstanding differences with North Korea and are looking forward to the day when they will truly close the last chapter in the aftermath of the Ko rean War,” Clinton said Monday. Albright urged caution. “We must be pragmatic and recognize that the road to fully normal relations remains uphill,” she said. From her first step on North Ko rean soil to her meeting with Kim, Mon day was a day of firsts for Albright. No other secretary of state had ven tured to North Korea, nor had any oth er U.S. officials met with the reclusive leader. Kim made note of the occasion. “This is a new one from a historic point of view,” he said. Albright paid separate courtesy calls earlier Tuesday on President Kim Yong Nam, the ceremonial head of state, and the North Korean foreign minister, Paek Nam Sun. Students have % H Oto 4 I drinks when < H they Party! | I ’ ——*~~~ WmMmm fterence day I community service H play games with kids free food ' - face painting jp|j|||||lf entertainment --':0*■ ; Saturday, October 28, 2000 W.A. Perry Middle School 8:00-2:00 • ||!|l|ggragK&ijl| HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL I EPWORTH CHILDREN’S HOME H Tuesday October 31,2000 5:30-9:30 For more information call the Office of Community Service Programs at 777-8402 . Transportation not provided