The Value of Employment to Mothers of Young Children

Maternidad/maternalidad y trabajo: "efectos" del rol dual sobre las madres que trabajan

“…Una primera variable a considerar es la de las diferencias individuales, y, por ejemplo, Bradbard y Endsley (1986), proponen un modelo para investigar las diferencias en las satisfacción con el cuidado de sus hijos, que experimentan las madres que trabajan. Otro estudio que demuestra la compleja interacción de variables es el de Thomson (1980), quien -mediante regresión múltipleencuentra que el valor del empleo para las madres de preescolares depende del "costo" percibido del rol parental, evaluando el tiempo de dedicación en función de ello. También se ha visto que, conforme los hijos crecen, las madres van reestructurando su noción del rol maternal y de las necesidades de sus hijos.…”

The structuring of identity among midlife women as a function of their degree of involvement in employment

“…Examining the place of employment withm the identity stmcture of midlife women is important m several respects Althongh it has typically been assumed that employment is more central to men's identity than it IS to women's, this assumption has increasingly been questioned (Barnett & Baruch, 1978, Long & Porter, 1984, Lopata & Barnewolt, 1984, Mulvey, 1963, Wnght, 1978 For many women, emplovment seems to offer an important source of self-esteem and autonomy, as well as opportunities for creativity and competence (Baruch, 1984, Thomas, 1980 Further, employment may have special meanings to midlife women, in that it may serve to minimize some of the anxieties of the midlife transition and act as a stabihzmg element dunng this complex period (Coleman & Antonucci, 1983) Although the reasons motivating midlife women to become or remain employed are varied (Ingelhart, 1978, Laws, 1978, Rolhns & White, 1982, Thomas, 1980, Warr & Parry, 1982, the importance of employment within the life structure of manv such women seems indisputable To say that the world of employment occupies a central place in the identities of many midlife women does not, however, mean that only one pattem charactenzes its role Indeed, a major problem with much previous research is that midlife women have been descnbed as if they were a single group, with little heterogeneity A number of recent writers have stressed the need to focus more clearly on the diversity ofthis population (Bamett & Baruch, 1978, Bamch & Brooks-Gunn, 1984, Spence & Lonner, 1978, Stewart, 1980, as Stewart (1980, p 195) has noted, "even women of similar education, intelligence, and social class background show a high degree of vanabihty m life pattems " Those relatively few studies which have looked directly at differences among midhfe women have identified important vanations m career paths (e g , Mulvey, 1963) and personality (e g , Livson, 1976, Stew^, 1980, see 1 Many wnters would use ' work' rather than employment' m this context, but I have ehosen not to do so because activities such as raising children and maintaining a home clearly also constitute work Even though locutions such as "the world of employment" may appear somewhat unwieldy, thev are more descriptive of paid work outsrie the home than the term "work" alone would be Cytrynbaum, Blum, Patnck, Stem, Wadner, & Wilk [1980] for a review of such work) Just as it IS important to identify the diverse rcAes that employment plays m the lives of some midlife women, it is equally important to remember that other ...…”

“…Examining the place of employment withm the identity stmcture of midlife women is important m several respects Althongh it has typically been assumed that employment is more central to men's identity than it IS to women's, this assumption has increasingly been questioned (Barnett & Baruch, 1978, Long & Porter, 1984, Lopata & Barnewolt, 1984, Mulvey, 1963, Wnght, 1978 For many women, emplovment seems to offer an important source of self-esteem and autonomy, as well as opportunities for creativity and competence (Baruch, 1984, Thomas, 1980 Further, employment may have special meanings to midlife women, in that it may serve to minimize some of the anxieties of the midlife transition and act as a stabihzmg element dunng this complex period (Coleman & Antonucci, 1983) Although the reasons motivating midlife women to become or remain employed are varied (Ingelhart, 1978, Laws, 1978, Rolhns & White, 1982, Thomas, 1980, Warr & Parry, 1982, the importance of employment within the life structure of manv such women seems indisputable…”

The Work Attachment of Mothers with Preschool Children

“…This interest stems from the recognition that maternal employment has many personal and social implications, as well as implications for the elaboration of an adequate lifespan theory of women's development. Many of the implications for the mothers themselves and their husbands derive from the belief that maternal employment will inevitably produce role overload and role strain (e.g., see Rapoport & Rapoport, 1977;Thomson, 1980) and, consequently, result in less than optimal personal development and disturbed family functioning. Thus, research investigating differences between employed and nonemployed mothers and their families have focused on personality factors (e.g., Burke & Weir, 1976;Harper & Richards, 1986), attitudes (Ferree, 1980;Molm, 1978), psychological distress (Barnett & Baruch, 1983), life satisfaction (Ferree, 1976;Manis, 1980), husband's work and life satisfaction (Staines, Pottick, & Fudge, 1985), and husband's and wife's marital satisfaction (see Smith, 1985, for a review).…”