Study: Number Of Stay-At-Home Moms On The Rise

HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Instead of heading off to work, a new study shows more women are staying home to raise their children.

As CBS 2's Alice Gainer reported, the study suggests a reversal of what was a decades-long decline of stay-at-home moms.

Kristyn says she's more connected to her 8-month-old Matthew since she made the choice to stop working and stay home.

"We have a very close bond," said Kristyn. "It's a lot of fun just watching him do new things all the time. It's crazy, I don't want to miss anything."

And Kristyn is not alone.

A new study by Pew Research Center says the number of mothers who are staying home with their children rose to 29 percent in 2012, Gainer reported.

Pew Research said that number is up from a modern-era low of 23 percent in 1999.

Researchers said there are several factors driving the number reversal.

Some are home because they can't find a job. Others, such as Jackie Dellatorre, say the rising cost of child care was a reason.

"The price of a nanny or sitter was just not in our budget," Dellatorre said.

There are also those who simply just wanted to stay home with the kids, Gainer reported.

"It's really hard to do both," one mother said.

When it comes to how stay-at-home moms spend their time, the new study found that 18 hours a week were spent on child care, compared with 11 hours for working mothers -- a seven-hour difference.

Quite a few mothers out and about in Hoboken on Tuesday told Gainer they're able to work from home, allowing them the best of both worlds.

"I didn't want to give up the opportunity to raise my children myself," said Marie Kyriss, a mother who works from home.

"I'm president of the PTO. I can take her to all her activities. I'm very involved in her day, and that just makes my day great," said another work-at-home mom Suzanne Chiavelli.

Many of the mothers who spoke with Gainer said they're enjoying the time with their children while it lasts, because once they grow older, they'll return to work.

While it wasn't the focus of the Pew Research study, researchers said stay-at-home fathers also represent a small, but growing number of stay at home parents.

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