Exploration of “Good Mother” Stereotypes in the College Environment

Abstract

This study extends research on the good mother stereotype by examining students' perceptions of other students who return to school after having a child. Undergraduate students attending either community college or a 4-year southeastern university within the United States were asked to review a vignette in which a mother's decision to return to college and her role satisfaction were manipulated. The 205 participants rated the woman who elects to continue her education shortly after the birth of a child as significantly less feminine, more dominant, more arrogant-calculating and cold-hearted, and less warmagreeable than the mother who discontinued her education. The impact of these results is discussed in the context of Tinto's (Review of Educational Research 45, 89-127, 1975) classic theory of student retention and Eagly and Steffen's (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46, [735][736][737][738][739][740][741][742][743][744][745][746][747][748][749][750][751][752][753][754] 1984) theory of gender stereotypes.

Perceptions of Mothers and Fathers Who Take Temporary Work Leave

“…Male participants also had less favorable impressions of a stay-at-home father than of a working or leave-taking father, although this difference did not achieve significance. These results suggest that men's support for traditional gender roles, particularly those that involve work and family choices, may be stronger than women's, a finding that is supported by other literature on attitudes toward gender roles (e.g., Kaufman 2000; Larsen and Long 1988) and attitudes toward mothers specifically (Mottarella et al 2009). …”

“…Further, Bridges and colleagues found that working mothers were viewed as less communal than mothers who stopped working and mothers who took a short maternity leave following the birth of their child (Bridges and Orza 1993;Bridges and Etaugh 1995). Similarly, Mottarella et al (2009) found that mothers who chose to return to school immediately after the birth of a child were judged as less warm than mothers who chose to discontinue their schooling. Studying perceptions of mothers and fathers, Fuegen et al (2004) found that working parents were viewed as less agentic and committed to their jobs than working non-parents.…”

Determinants of the Intention to Pump Breast Milk on a University Campus

“…Between 2000 and 2012, the enrollment of students aged 25 years and older increased by 35%, and projections estimate that from 2012 to 2023, there will be another 20% increase in enrollment among this age group . In fact, female students over the age of 25 are the fastest‐growing group of nontraditional students in US colleges and universities . This is particularly noteworthy, given that the average age of women at first birth (and thus with the decision to breastfeed) has been increasing over time, from 22.7 years in 1980 to 25.8 years in 2012…”

Positive Attributes of Never-Married Single Mothers and Fathers: Why Gender Matters and Applications for Family Therapists

“…The following quotation illustrated this sub-theme: "[Single mothers] will give up a lot for their children." Thus, this culturally prescribed idea of being self-sacrificing aligns with the "good mother" stereotype, which lends to the proposal that once a woman becomes a mother, any former identity is no longer relevant and her individual needs should be ignored (Mottarella et al, 2009). …”

“…The few studies that exist appear to highlight the "good mother" stereotype, which involves the culturally prescribed belief that in order to be successful in the role of a mother, a woman must only spend time with her children and put others' needs ahead of her own (Mottarella, Fritzsche, Whitten, & Bedsole, 2009). For example, Brodsky (1996) studied single mothers raising their children in an inner-city neighborhood, all of whom were identified as resilient by school personnel because of their abilities to thrive and raise children in difficult circumstances; however, this study did not identify any specific positive attributes beyond surviving and thriving.…”