Parents' Involvement in Child Care: Do Parental and Work Identities Matter? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Family Issues, 2017
This study draws on identity theory to explore parental and work identities. It examined gender differences in identities, as well as the moderating role of gender in the effects of individuals' sociostructural characteristics. A sample of 148 couples with young children completed extensive questionnaires. As hypothesized, couples' paid-work strategy moderated gender differences in the salience and centrality of parental and work identities. Whereas significant differences in identities were found between stay-at-home mothers and their breadwinning husbands, no differences were found among dual-earner couples. Moreover, men's work identity centrality increased when they had more and younger children, whereas women's work identity centrality decreased. Finally, men's parental identity centrality increased with their income, whereas women's parental identity centrality decreased the more they earned. These findings attest to the importance of examining differences within as well as between genders, by taking into account the interactive effects of gender with other sociostructural characteristics.
Mothers' Participation in Child Care: Patterns and Consequences. Working Paper No. 137
1984
Consequences of mothers' participation in child care (interaction and child-care tasks) on 160 Caucasian middle-class fathers ane mothers were examined in an interview study of parents of kindergarten and fourth grade children. In half of-the families, mothers were employed. Three forms of mothers' participation were examined in relation to two categories of consequences: role strain and well-being. Role-strain items referred to immediate and specific problems such as time and energy constraints and role conflicts. Well-being items assessed self-esteem, life satisfaction, and quality of experience in the parental and marital roles. In general, relationships among mothers' participation and both categories of consequences were stronger in dual-earner families. In these families, mothers' role strain was not consistently related to mothers' participation. In contrast, fathers' role strain was correlated with mothers' participation, especially proportional interaction time. The more mothers did, relative to fathers,-the less role strain fathers reported. With respect to well-being consequences, for fathers, increased mothers' participation was associated with decrements in feelings of involvement in the role of parent but gains in assessments of the marriage. The opposite pattern emerged among mothers. Increased maternal participation was associated with more positive feelings in the role of mother and less positive feelings in the marital role.
This study draws on Bem's conceptualization (The lenses of gender: Transforming the debate on sexual inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1993) of biological essentialism to explore fathers' and mothers' involvement in child care. The relationships between parental essentialist perceptions, gender ideology, fathers' role attitudes, and various forms of involvement in child care were examined. Two hundred and nine couples with 6-36-month-old children completed extensive questionnaires. Analyses revealed that fathers' essentialist perceptions predicted involvement in child care tasks and hours of care by the mother, whereas mothers' essentialist perceptions predicted hours of care by the father. Parents' attitudes toward the father's role predicted involvement in child care tasks. Parents' attitudes and perceptions contributed to involvement in child care even after the effects of the parents' employment were controlled. The importance of examining various aspects of parents' views, and distinguishing different forms of involvement in child care is discussed.
This study used data from the 'Well Being Module' of the 2010 American Time Use Survey (N = 1,699) to analyze how parents experience child care time in terms of meaning and stress levels. Multivariate multilevel regressions showed clear differences by gender and the circumstances of child care activities. Mothers experienced child care time as more stressful than fathers, and fathers as slightly more meaningful. Interactive child care was experienced as more meaningful and less stressful than routine child care, whereas these differences were stronger among fathers than among mothers. Mothers experienced child care with a minor child as highly meaningful, and with an adolescent as particularly stressful. Fathers experienced child care with an infant as highly stressful, and with an offspring in middle childhood as disproportionally meaningful. The spouse's presence was moderately associated with higher senses of meaning and lower levels of stress during child care, but these differences were modest, and only visible among fathers. Paid work hours increased mothers' stress levels during child care activities, but reduced fathers' stress levels. Meanwhile, non-employed fathers reported child care time as less meaningful than non-employed mothers. Overall, this study has important scientific and practical implications for understanding the gendered nature of parents' child care time and wellbeing.
Beliefs of Mothers, Nannies, Grandmothers and Daycare Providers Concerning Childcare
With the greater inclusion of women in the job market, the division of childcare has become increasingly more common. This paper’s aim was to analyze potential differences among distinct profiles of caregivers regarding the valuation of Keller’s parenting systems. A total of 120 caregivers (mothers, grandmothers, nannies and daycare educators) of children younger than one year of age participated in a semi-structured interview. Significant differences were found among the caregivers in regard to the importance they assigned to the different systems: face-to-face, body stimulation and basic care. Education also significantly influenced the valorization of face-to-face and basic care systems. The conclusion is that the caregivers presented a mixed parental style, both distal, enabling the experience of autonomy and separation, and proximal, valuing greater interpersonal relationships. This study sought to contribute to understanding the trajectories used to the development of self when different actors are involved in childcare.
Maternal Identity Salience- a Key Factor in Reconciliation of Family and Professional Life
The article deals with the theme of maternal identity in the context of possible tensions arising from conflicts between maternal status-role and professional status-role or lack of professional role, in the case of mothers with higher education. The purpose of the research was to identify whether the salience of maternal identity can be regarded as a facilitator factor for resolving conflicts/competition between the two roles, and for the option of employment/ job vacancy in mothers with higher education. The research is qualitative, using indepth, semi-structured interviews, the Twenty Statements Test and participatory observation. It was found that in situations where salient maternal identity is located in the top three positions in the structure of global identity of mothers with higher education, they tend to make better use of time, financial and human resources for the tasks management related to raising and caring for children, both in maternity leave and after returning to the labor market; also the tension generated by the conflict between the two roles was low or even not exist. On the other hand, it was found that salient maternal identity is more common in mothers for whom motherhood is a dimension of feminine identity. Salient professional identity was recorded in cases where the woman parent represents a major income provider for the family (i.e. higher wage or constant salary, stability etc.). The conclusion was that maternal identity salience facilitates the reconciliation of family and work while the woman parent has the opportunity to choose activities that allow the free, unconstrained maternal role behavior, highlighting the importance of agency and self-determination of women to adapt to the demands of family and professional roles.
Beliefs of Mothers, Nannies, Grandmothers and Daycare Providers Concerning Childcare1
Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 2014
With the greater inclusion of women in the job market, the division of childcare has become increasingly more common. This paper’s aim was to analyze potential differences among distinct profiles of caregivers regarding the valuation of Keller’s parenting systems. A total of 120 caregivers (mothers, grandmothers, nannies and daycare educators) of children younger than one year of age participated in a semi-structured interview. Significant differences were found among the caregivers in regard to the importance they assigned to the different systems: face-to-face, body stimulation and basic care. Education also significantly influenced the valorization of face-to-face and basic care systems. The conclusion is that the caregivers presented a mixed parental style, both distal, enabling the experience of autonomy and separation, and proximal, valuing greater interpersonal relationships. This study sought to contribute to understanding the trajectories used to the development of self whe...
Child Care Time, Parents’ Well-Being, and Gender: Evidence from the American Time Use Survey
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2016
This study used data from the 'Well Being Module' of the 2010 American Time Use Survey (N = 1699) to analyze how parents experience child care time in terms of meaning and stress levels. Multivariate multilevel regressions showed clear differences by gender and the circumstances of child care activities. Mothers experienced child care time as more stressful than fathers, and fathers as slightly more meaningful. Interactive child care was experienced as more meaningful and less stressful than routine child care, whereas these differences were stronger among fathers than among mothers. Mothers experienced child care with a minor child as highly meaningful, and with an adolescent as particularly stressful. Fathers experienced child care with an infant as highly stressful, and with an offspring in middle childhood as disproportionally meaningful. The spouse's presence was moderately associated with higher senses of meaning and lower levels of stress during child care, but these differences were modest, and only visible among fathers. Paid work hours increased mothers' stress levels during child care activities, but reduced fathers' stress levels. Meanwhile, nonemployed fathers reported child care time as less meaningful than non-employed mothers. Overall, this study has important scientific and practical implications for 'understanding the gendered nature of parents' child care time and well-being.
Patterns of mother and father involvement in day care
Child & Youth Care Forum, 1997
Twenty-eight dual-earner couples were interviewed 10 times each to determine their involvement in their young child's day care center. Mothers picked up the child significantly more often than did fathers. Mothers and fathers spent about equal amounts of time in the center during their visits. In comparison to fathers, mothers were significantly more communicative with caregivers and the director. There were many similarities between mothers and fathers in the topics they discussed with staff.