IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v38y2017i4d10.1007_s10834-017-9534-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What Women Want: Employment Preference and Adjustment Among Mothers

Author

Listed:
  • Lucia Ciciolla

    (Oklahoma State University)

  • Alexandra S. Curlee

    (Arizona State University)

  • Suniya S. Luthar

    (Arizona State University)

Abstract

In this study of over 2000 mothers, we considered the alignment between employment preference and status, examining the well-being of mothers who were employed and wanting to work; employed because they need the money; not employed and not wanting work; and not employed but wanting to work. Alignment between employment preference and employment status was significantly associated with well-being, and mothers who stayed at home but wanted work had the most difficulties. Strong associations across multiple outcomes were found for emotional support variables, and costs of childcare was the most common reason for staying home even if employment was desired. Results suggest the importance of women’s self-agency in employment decisions, access to child-care, and emotional support in mothers’ lives.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia Ciciolla & Alexandra S. Curlee & Suniya S. Luthar, 2017. "What Women Want: Employment Preference and Adjustment Among Mothers," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 494-513, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:38:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10834-017-9534-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-017-9534-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-017-9534-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-017-9534-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jose Gimenez-Nadal & Almudena Sevilla-Sanz, 2011. "The Time-Crunch Paradox," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 181-196, June.
    2. Beja Jr, Edsel, 2012. "Who is happier: Housewife or working wife?," MPRA Paper 40533, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Garey Ramey & Valerie A. Ramey, 2010. "The Rug Rat Race," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 41(1 (Spring), pages 129-199.
    4. Kennon Sheldon & Tan Hoon, 2007. "The multiple determination of well-being: Independent effects of positive traits, needs, goals, selves, social supports, and cultural contexts," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 8(4), pages 565-592, December.
    5. Max Haller & Markus Hadler, 2006. "How Social Relations and Structures can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Comparative Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 75(2), pages 169-216, January.
    6. Christopher J. Ruhm, 2004. "Parental Employment and Child Cognitive Development," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(1).
    7. Jelke Bethlehem, 2010. "Selection Bias in Web Surveys," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 78(2), pages 161-188, August.
    8. Margaret Usdansky & Rachel Gordon & Xue Wang & Anna Gluzman, 2012. "Depression Risk among Mothers of Young Children: The Role of Employment Preferences, Labor Force Status and Job Quality," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 83-94, March.
    9. Mary C. Still, 2006. "The opt-out revolution in the United States: implications for modern organizations," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2-3), pages 159-171.
    10. Ragnhild Nes & Lars Hauge & Tom Kornstad & Petter Kristensen & Markus Landolt & Leif Eskedal & Lorentz Irgens & Margarete Vollrath, 2014. "The Impact of Child Behaviour Problems on Maternal Employment: A Longitudinal Cohort Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 351-361, September.
    11. Klumb, Petra L. & Lampert, Thomas, 2004. "Women, work, and well-being 1950-2000:: a review and methodological critique," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(6), pages 1007-1024, March.
    12. Ariel Kalil & Rebecca Ryan & Michael Corey, 2012. "Diverging Destinies: Maternal Education and the Developmental Gradient in Time With Children," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(4), pages 1361-1383, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Siti Nur Azizah & Samsubar Saleh & Eny Sulistyaningrum, 2022. "The Effect of Working Mother Status on Children’s Education Attainment: Evidence from Longitudinal Data," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-22, February.
    2. Elizabeth Dolan & Elena Stancanelli, 2021. "Women’s Employment, Wages, and the Household," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 101-106, July.
    3. Krista Lynn Minnotte & Michael C. Minnotte, 2018. "Work-Family Conflict Among Dual-Earners: Are Partner, Family, and Friends Resources or Liabilities?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 258-276, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muñoz, Katherine, 2023. "El nivel de disfrute durante las actividades de cuidado de hijos: Un análisis utilizando datos de la UKTUS 2014-15 [The level of enjoyment during childcare activities: An analysis using data from U," MPRA Paper 117799, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Boll, Christina & Hoffmann, Malte, 2015. "It's not all about parents' education, it also matters what they do: Parents' employment and children's school success in Germany," HWWI Research Papers 162, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    3. Slawa Rokicki & Mark E. McGovern, 2020. "Heterogeneity in Early Life Investments: A Longitudinal Analysis of Children's Time Use," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 66(3), pages 647-676, September.
    4. Zhu, Guozhong & Vural, Gulfer, 2013. "Inter-generational effect of parental time and its policy implications," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 1833-1851.
    5. Gimenez-Nadal, Jose Ignacio & Sevilla, Almudena, 2016. "Intensive Mothering and Well-being: The Role of Education and Child Care Activity," MPRA Paper 74249, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Gunvor Marie Dyrdal & Espen Røysamb & Ragnhild Bang Nes & Joar Vittersø, 2019. "When Life Happens: Investigating Short and Long-Term Effects of Life Stressors on Life Satisfaction in a Large Sample of Norwegian Mothers," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(6), pages 1689-1715, August.
    7. Jacob Bastian & Lance Lochner, 2022. "The Earned Income Tax Credit and Maternal Time Use: More Time Working and Less Time with Kids?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(3), pages 573-611.
    8. Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal, J. & Molina, Jose Alberto & Velilla, Jorge, 2018. "The commuting behavior of workers in the United States: Differences between the employed and the self-employed," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 19-29.
    9. Liana Fox & Wen-Jui Han & Christopher Ruhm & Jane Waldfogel, 2013. "Time for Children: Trends in the Employment Patterns of Parents, 1967–2009," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(1), pages 25-49, February.
    10. Gahramanov, Emin & Hasanov, Rashad & Tang, Xueli, 2020. "Parental involvement and Children's human capital: A tax-subsidy experiment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 16-29.
    11. Jacob Bastian, 2020. "The EITC and Maternal Time Use: More Time Working and Less Time with Kids?," Working Papers 2020-077, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    12. Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn & Rubia Rocha Valente, 2018. "Life Satisfaction of Career Women and Housewives," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(3), pages 603-632, September.
    13. Kertesi, Gábor & Kézdi, Gábor & Hajdu, Tamás, 2022. "Idő és pénz a gyermeknevelésben Magyarországon, 1993-2010 [Time and money in raising children in Hungary, 1993-2010]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 1255-1297.
    14. Dana Hamplová, 2019. "Does Work Make Mothers Happy?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 471-497, February.
    15. Katie Vinopal & Seth Gershenson, 2017. "Re-Conceptualizing Gaps by Socioeconomic Status in Parental Time with Children," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 623-643, September.
    16. Martha J. Bailey & Melanie Guldi & Brad J. Hershbein, 2014. "Is There a Case for a "Second Demographic Transition"? Three Distinctive Features of the Post-1960 U.S. Fertility Decline," NBER Chapters, in: Human Capital in History: The American Record, pages 273-312, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Herbst, Chris M., 2018. "The rising cost of child care in the United States: A reassessment of the evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 13-30.
    18. Herbst, Chris M., 2015. "The Rising Cost of Child Care in the United States: A Reassessment of the Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 9072, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Gimenez-Nadal, Jose Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto, 2021. "How do women allocate their available time in Europe? Differences with men," GLO Discussion Paper Series 908, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    20. Seung-Eun Cha & Yoo-Jean Song, 2017. "Time or Money: The Relationship Between Educational Attainment, Income Contribution, and Time with Children Among Korean Fathers," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 195-218, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:38:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10834-017-9534-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.