Best careers to pursue if you want to have a family

Can a career in tech make you a more present parent?

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 change their career. According to them, tech is believed to be the most supportive (15%).

Likewise, tech was the top pick of industries when it came to supporting a flexible work schedule (17%) — a must-have for most parents today.

Commissioned by TripleTen and conducted by Talker Research, the survey revealed that the balancing act between work and children is challenging — 43% felt like they frequently have to prioritize their work over their children.

In fact, 55% considered leaving the workforce for an extended period of time to raise kids, beyond what a typical maternity or paternity leave would support and 59% of them followed through, leaving their careers to focus on raising their children.

On top of that, 74% would change their career path if it meant their employer was more accommodating of their family life.

Parents shared their current jobs lack modern benefits such as four-day work weeks (44%), unlimited PTO (30%), working exclusively or primarily from their home (30%), really good health insurance options (26%) and on-site childcare options (25%).

Sixty-nine percent would consider switching their career industries if it offered them “at least half” of the benefits they need to support their family.

Many parents see a career in the tech industry as the answer. Twelve percent of respondents said they currently work in tech. And of them, 61% believe the industry has allowed them to spend more time with their family than previous jobs would have allowed.

Likewise, 81% of them would encourage other parents to consider a career in tech for the same family-focused perks.

“It’s dangerously easy for parents to prioritize work when that’s what’s taking up the most amount of time in their day,” said Maggie Elentukh, VP of Communications and Brand at TripleTen. “But the end result of that prioritization is missing out on critical moments that no parent ever wants to miss. Parents are entitled to spend as much time with their children as they can, and their careers should support that focus.”

Results from the survey also found 42% of parents believe they don’t spend enough time with their children during the typical working day, and 58% have had their kids ask to spend more time with them.

Over half (56%) have had to miss out on events their kids have participated in because of a work obligation.

Nearly all parents (96%) said they felt guilty putting work before their kids, and they recalled missing out on activities such as field trips (46%), sporting events (45%), parent-teacher nights (38%) and meals (38%).

Four in five (82%) admitted they have called out of work or left early to make sure they don’t miss out on the events their kids are involved in.

A third have even lied to their bosses to get the day off — 64% of whom said they do it “guilt-free.”

“There’s a lot of potential for familial support in modern working industries, such as the tech sector,” continued Maggie. “The tech industry is a leading example of what a good work/life balance can bring — an efficient level of productivity seen in the workday, as well as making sure parents have the resources and infrastructure in their workplace to ensure they never miss a moment of their child’s life.”

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.