Good Mothers, Bad Mothers: Exploring the Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Nonmaternal Childcare and Mother's Labour Force Participation

Normative beliefs of motherhood include a number of culturally prescribed constructs that account for how mothers should think, feel, and behave, which impact on maternal labour force participation (LFP). This study investigates a central element of these normative beliefs, that is, attitudes toward...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of family studies Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 62 - 82
Main Authors McDonald, Paula K., Bradley, Lisa M., Guthrie, Diane
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 01.04.2005
Subjects
Australia
Child care effects
Child Care Services
Childcare
Early childhood education
Employed parents
Employed women
Interviews
Labor Force Participation
Labour Force Participation
Mother attitudes
Motherhood
Mothers
Nonmaternal Care
Part-time
Preschool education
Surveys
Working Mothers
Australia
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Summary:Normative beliefs of motherhood include a number of culturally prescribed constructs that account for how mothers should think, feel, and behave, which impact on maternal labour force participation (LFP). This study investigates a central element of these normative beliefs, that is, attitudes towards nonmaternal childcare and maternal LFP. The study used survey (N = 112) and interview (N = 24) data derived from a sample of mothers who were employees and ex-employees of an Australian University. Results show that while at-home women held negative views of all nonmaternal childcare, women working part-time believed nonmaternal care is acceptable if for a limited period of time and where the child is likely to derive developmental benefits. Women working full-time were more positive about nonmaternal care, although a substantial degree of guilt and ambivalence was expressed. The results inform the current understanding of normative beliefs of motherhood in Western societies and may contribute to the development of targeted policies that support families in their employment and care-giving. [Author abstract]
Bibliography:Refereed article. Includes bibliographical references.
Journal of Family Studies; v.11 n.1 p.62-82; April 2005
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1322-9400
1839-3543
DOI:10.5172/jfs.327.11.1.62