June 24th, 2026
For many young mothers, getting a job isn’t only about having a flexible schedule or showing up on time, but rather a variety of challenges that make it difficult to navigate motherhood while providing for their families. These challenges can range from transportation, childcare, scheduling, and employer understanding (or lack thereof). Expectation can feel hard to attain, which can make it difficult for mothers to feel supported and seen.
The Constant Challenges
It can be stressful to be part of a society that expects young mothers to juggle their life between their careers and motherhood by making them feel that both aren’t attainable, that you must sacrifice one for the other. However, the stated challenges prevent these young women from balancing both aspects of their lives, but it shouldn’t be this way. At South Project, we understand these realities, and we provide mentorship, education workshops, and career support in order to help move mothers into long-term stability.
These obstacles rarely exist in isolation. Instead, they often intersect and stack on top of one another, creating additional barriers that make workforce participation more challenging for young mothers. The following sections explore some of the most common challenges that young mothers face.
Transportation: The Daily Struggle
Something that is a big part of everyone’s employment experience is transportation (unless you’re a remote worker). Whether your job is near or far, it can be a great struggle to have a stable and safe ride to and from work every day. While bigger cities may have more opportunities for public transportation, cars are essential in the life of most people living in America. Although so many other methods, such as carpooling and biking, exist, they aren’t always the most comfortable or easiest.
For young mothers, unforeseen changes in their daily commute can alter the way they provide for their families, as missed buses, obtaining a car (whether it’s used or new), or even an accident on a bike can be severely life-altering. It’s important to note that safety is a big concern as well, as many women don’t feel safe walking or biking to work depending upon where they live. As much of America isn’t walkable or bikeable, this creates even more issues as well.
Commuting adds to the stresses and challenges that mothers face, as more planning is required to plan around other aspects of the day, such as daycare (both picking up the children and dropping them off).
It’s important to be aware of how the cost of any form of transportation stacks up, especially with the rising gas prices and lack of funding in public transportation in bigger cities, leading to cut lines and more difficult routes.
Childcare Challenges Leading to Instability in Scheduling
Childcare is a major barrier that young mothers face on a daily basis. Whether childcare is provided by a partner or a trusted family member, it’s a worrisome part of the day. Quality childcare is expensive, and in some locations, places are nearly always overbooked, which can lead to a tedious process of finding other locations one can trust and afford.
As various jobs require flexible schedules, it can be stressful having to plan around being scheduled on days you did not expect to work, such as holidays, weekends, and even overnight shifts.
Problems such as daycares closing early, national holidays, cancellation of babysitters, and transportation issues, can force a young mother to call off, request unexpected days off, or even cause unforeseen financial issues and upset employers.
Unpredictable Scheduling
Whether a mom can work part-time or full-time, the challenge of an employer working around their schedule remains the same. Not every employer will be understanding when a child is sick and a mother has to call off to take care of them (or even get sick herself), or is struggling with a lack of daycare. It’s unfair to potentially assume that a young woman is not applying herself enough to work her shifts when family issues may arise that need attention.
In particular, entry-level jobs such as food service, retail, and warehouse jobs may be less supportive of the scheduling needs of young mothers. It’s very common for such jobs to hand out schedules at the last minute, with huge changes in scheduling that lead to fatigue and employer misunderstandings.
Mothers can be pressured to take on more than they can handle at work to avoid financial issues, all while potentially not having full childcare secured or transportation issues. Over time, double shifts and weekend schedules feel even heavier when a family is waiting for you at home.
Employer Understanding
The way that a workspace interacts with a young mother is what also allows her to have stability and professional growth. Supportive employers can be the bridge to success for mothers to remain employed and financially stable. However, various employers may not be as understanding as they should be, and it can be unfair for mothers to be labeled as unreliable, unstable, and not present when they need to rearrange personal plans before coming into work.
Women learn to multitask, communicate, and manage their time, all while providing for their families. Although it may be tempting to quickly say one can start their own business and become their own boss, it’s also necessary to note that this career path brings its own set of challenges as well.
If women begin to be heard and understood in their workspaces, this can lead to creating a better balance between motherhood and becoming financially stable.
What Better Opportunities Look Like
If communities and systems want young mothers to succeed, these systems around them must also understand the changes that are needed to make a difference.
Opportunities such as affordable childcare, reliable transportation/commuting, understanding employers, and providing mentorship and guidance can positively impact women while also uplifting them in the ways they deserve.
Young mothers already struggle through so much, but they are also capable of more than one role in their lives. Women are providers, leaders, supporters, and love and care for their family and their little ones, and that should not be hindered by the lack of support in the workplace or elsewhere.
Conclusion
By creating a strong support system, accessible resources, and understanding employers, young mothers can thrive in their personal and professional careers without worries or challenges. Listening to the struggles and addressing them is one way to start the conversation, as every woman deserves to be heard and supported.
About the Author
Karen M. Camacho, a San Francisco Bay Area native, began creating design content for South Project in August of 2025 and is now pursuing her passion for blog writing. She is currently studying a B.S. in Visual Communications Design at San Francisco State University with a minor in Marketing. When she’s not writing and designing, she enjoys spending time with her partner and loved ones, practicing yoga, rewatching her favorite shows, and traveling along the California coast.