Ten years ago, it was almost unheard of for a corporation to offer its employees (particularly women) "family friendly" benefits of any kind. Many working mothers struggled to keep their jobs through and after pregnancies, didn't share child care problems with their employers, and hoped for the best when it came to family emergencies.

Fortunately, times have changed, and benefits - such as paid paternity leave, adoption aid, and child care subsidies - that were once unthinkable in a corporate setting, have become (almost) standard. Working Mother magazine compiles an annual list of the one hundred best companies in these and other family related categories. Over the years, a place on the "Working Mother 100" has become a highly coveted prize by companies eager to prove their fairness to employees. The states with the highest concentrations of listed companies are California, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

According to Business Week magazine, the most "family friendly" companies include Eli Lilly, DuPont, and Motorola. Taking the concept a step further, this study factored employee job security and potential for advancement in with whether or not a particular worker took advantage of child-care and flexible work programs. This is an important issue - many companies offer family friendly programs and services, but subtly penalize workers who utilize them. To combat this, be sure to ask around (and check out the Business Week report) before assuming that a potential corporation's programs are as wonderful as they seem.