American International Journal of Contemporary Research Vol. 4, No. 4; April 2014 184 Mothers Employment Demands and Child Development: An Empirical Analysis of Working Mothers in Calabar Municipality Simon Odey Ering, PhD Department of Sociology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Calabar Calabar GSM: 08033488197 08030232113 Felix Udo Akpan, PhD Department of Public Administration Faculty of Social Sciences University of Calabar Nkechi Emma-Echiegu, PhD Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences Ebonyi State University Abakaliki GSM: 07065086559 Abstract The study essentially examines mother’s employment demands and its impact on child development in contemporary society. We took a sample of 120 respondents from Ikot Esu Community in Calabar municipality and two main hypotheses to guide the study. Data derived from the study were subjected to chi-squared statistical analyses. The findings show that there is a seeming disconnect between mothers employment demands and a child behavioural pattern and the development of child verbal and social skills as a result of the absent of parental care. Based on the findings, we recommended that there is need for government to revisit the policy or law on maternity leave, with a view to increasing the number of months granted mothers on maternity leave from the present four (4) months to nine (9) month to enable working mothers spent more quality time with their children. Also, gender sensitivity must be cultivated at both the individual and social level so that as working parent, each partner (male and female) has a responsibility in the process of child rearing. Keywords: Child socialization, mother employment demands, Child development, behavioural pattern, and verbal skills Introduction There are an increasing number of mothers in paid employment whose demands at work places is increasingly harming the wellbeing of their children. A working woman’s attitude is not different from that of a housewife. She has to manage her home, in addition to her work. Mothers in contemporary societies are being confronted with a choice whether to work or not to work. In other words, do the baby and family comes first or is a career and financial security of greater importance. While people may be willing to accept the idea of career women, they are not willing to excuse them from their duties as career mothers. However, the global economic recession of 2008 where a number of large industrial manufacturing companies collapsed, leading to the laying off of a number of men and or male headed households, women were left with the burden to fend for their families, necessitating a number of modern families to do a rethink.