Working and nonworking mothers a comparative study

Expands on research which has demonstrated that employment has positive or neutral effects on womens health. This pilot study examines whether these positive effects could also be found in employed mothers by comparing working mothers with nonworking mothers on measures of mental health, selfesteem,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women in management review (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England : 1992) West Yorkshire, England : 1992), 1997-11, Vol.12 (7), p.264-275
Main Authors: Rout, Usha R., Cooper, Cary L., Kerslake, Helen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employees
Employment
Health
Mental health
Women
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Summary:Expands on research which has demonstrated that employment has positive or neutral effects on womens health. This pilot study examines whether these positive effects could also be found in employed mothers by comparing working mothers with nonworking mothers on measures of mental health, selfesteem, and mother role satisfaction. Also this study assesses the stress experienced by these mothers and examines the coping strategies used by them. Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 101 were returned giving a 50.5 per cent return rate of which 78 per cent were working mothers and 22 per cent nonworking mothers. The working mothers had better mental health and reported less depression than the nonworking mothers. The most frequently reported source of stress for working mothers was not having enough time to do everything, whereas for nonworking mothers lack of social life was a major stressor. The findings of this study support the expansion hypothesis, which emphasizes the benefits rather than the costs of multiple role involvement.
ISSN:0964-9425
DOI:10.1108/09649429710181234