Best careers to pursue if you want to have a family

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

CAN A CAREER IN TECH MAKE YOU A MORE ‘PRESENT’ PARENT? 

NEW DATA CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF TRIPLE-TEN SUGGESTS THAT IT MIGHT!

IN A NEW POLL OF 2,000 AMERICANS WHO HAVE TAKEN PARENTAL LEAVE IN THE PAST, PARENTS WERE ASKED WHICH OF THE NATION’S 15 BIGGEST INDUSTRIES WOULD BETTER ACCOMMODATE A FAMILY LIFE IF THEY WERE TO SWITCH CAREERS.

ACCORDING TO THEM, TECH IS BELIEVED TO BE THE MOST SUPPORTIVE (15%). IT WAS ALSO THE TOP PICK WHEN IT CAME TO SUPPORTING A FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE (17%) — A MUST-HAVE FOR MOST PARENTS TODAY.

THE SURVEY REVEALED THAT THE BALANCING ACT BETWEEN WORK AND CHILDREN IS CHALLENGING, WITH 43 PERCENT OF PARENTS FEELING LIKE THEY FREQUENTLY HAVE TO PRIORITIZE THEIR WORK OVER THEIR CHILDREN.

PARENTS SHARED THEIR CURRENT JOBS LACK MODERN BENEFITS SUCH AS FOUR-DAY WORK WEEKS (44%), UNLIMITED PTO (30%) AND WORKING EXCLUSIVELY OR PRIMARILY FROM HOME (30%).

WHAT ARE PARENTS MISSING OUT ON BECAUSE OF WORK?

• Joining on a field trip - 46%
• A sports event - 45%
• School conferences/parent-teacher nights - 38%
• Meals - 38%
• A sports practice - 37%
• Family outings (a day trip) - 32%
• Celebrations - 31%
• A music recital/theater performance - 28%
• Their birthday party - 17%
• A family vacation - 15%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American parents who have taken leave from work for raising children; the survey was commissioned by TripleTen and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 9 and July 19, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive

Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.