Study: Kids' skills hampered when mom works (UPI) - A recent study found that mothers who work outside the home may hurt the cognitive development of their young children by being absent. University of North Carolina at Greensboro labor economist Dr. Christopher Ruhm said that three- and four-year-olds tend to have lower verbal ablities if their mothers worked during the child's first year. Ruhm said an increasing percentage of single or married women with children under age six are working. "These changes suggest that parents have less time to invest in raising their children, with potentially harmful effects," Ruhm said. His research, based on a survey of more than 4,000 American children, found that children of mothers who work before their child reaches age three appear to have weaker verbal, reading and mathematics skills than the children of mothers who do not work. The study, published in the Working Paper Series of the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that children whose mothers worked during their first year had lower verbal abilities at ages three and four. Ruhm said the research shows parental involvement during the first years of children's lives is important in fostering cognitive development. What do you think about the study? Sound off on our message boards! Copyright 2000 by United Press International. All rights reserved.