For 12 years, Suzanne Erlandson, a former teaching aide, has been a stay-at-home mother with her three children. Her choice to stay at home was one she knew even before she had children.

“My husband and I knew how important it was to be there for our children at all ages. We wanted to help them grow and mature emotionally, spiritually and physically,” she said.

The choice Erlandson made is a decision many women make today. New research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that fewer women with children under age six are joining the workforce — about 3 percent less during the last five years. While some speculate this is due to a woman’s desire to focus on family life, experts say they are trying to determine the real reasons behind these statistics.

The reasons given to explain this decline vary. According to Lynn Kamenitsa, an NIU political science professor, this decline has a lot to do with the economic position of the United States.

“If you look at the data, there is not a trend [of females leaving the work force],” she said. “Instead, there is a leveling off of the females in the labor force, but there has been a leveling off of males, also. This shows that these statistics are more likely to be due to an economic recession.”

Women may have difficulty finding jobs after having children, and many choose to return to their previous jobs, Kamenitsa said.

Tami Biundo, co-owner of Imagine Salon, 3236 Sycamore Road, chose to get back to work right away.

Biundo took the standard eight weeks of maternity leave and, because she owns her business, she was able to set her own hours once the kids were in day care or with a baby sitter.

“Working while being a mother makes you appreciate the time you have with your kids more,” she said.

Difficulties in balancing work and home life are also a reason why some women don’t rejoin the workforce.

“Many women in younger generations want to ‘have it all,’ but balancing paid work and child rearing has continued to be challenging,” said Kei Nomaguchi, a sociology professor. “When the costs exceed the rewards in the ‘balance sheet’ of juggling paid work and child rearing, mothers may decide to stay at home.”

The ascription of cultural gender roles also could explain the decline, she said.

“When it comes to child rearing, women continue to be thought of as the primary caregiver,” Nomaguchi said. “This sometimes leads women to the difficult choice between being a good worker and being a good mother.”

Cheryl McDermott, a mother of two, including an NIU student, is expecting a new baby boy in September. While facing the joys of the upcoming addition to her family, she is also realistic about her future in the work force.

“With the new baby, I’ll take a short leave of absence for four months and then go back to work,” she said. “I don’t want to, but because of insurance and finances, there isn’t much choice.”