Women, Work, and Families : Balancing and

This study of 30 mothers looks at the varying ways women balance work and family life. It is carried out through intensive interviews and the data is examined from several theoretical standpoints, including structural theory, motherhood theory, and feminist theory. A supplemental text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in Family Studies Programs and Women's Studies programs.

Angela J. Hattery is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Wake Forest University. She joined the department in 1998 after 2 years as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ball State University. She earned her PhD in sociology in 1996 at the University of Wisconsin -- Madison and her bachelor's degree in sociology and anthropology at Carleton College in 1988. Her current research focuses on the ways in which mothers with young children balance and weave work and family

Acknowledgments

xi

Introduction and History of Women's Labor Force Participation

1

(17)

The Purpose of the Book

3

(2)

Balancing and Weaving

3

(2)

Theoretical Perspectives

5

(2)

The Power of Ideology

7

(3)

A Look Ahead

7

(3)

History of Women's Labor Force Participation

10

(8)

Subsistence Cultures

11

(1)

Agricultural Era

11

(1)

The Industrial Era

12

(2)

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

14

(1)

Patterns in the 20th Century

15

(3)

Ideologies of Motherhood: Content and the Dominant Model

18

(23)

Therborn's Writings on Ideology

19

(3)

Ideology as a Concept

19

(1)

Ideology and Individual Agency

19

(1)

Ideology as a Framework

20

(1)

Ideology as a Social Process

21

(1)

The Power of Ideology

21

(1)

Content of Ideologies of Motherhood

22

(4)

Intensive Mothering

22

(3)

Competing Ideologies of Motherhood

25

(1)

Systems of Discourse

26

(13)

Family Interactions

27

(1)

Expert Testimony

28

(4)

Nonexpert High-Profile Testimony

32

(7)

Summary of Major Points

39

(2)

Balancing and Weaving to Be a ``Good'' Mother

41

(27)

My History of This Project

41

(4)

An Epistemological Point

43

(2)

My Own Standpoint

45

(1)

Profiles of the Mothers

45

(8)

The Interviews

46

(2)

Analytical Techniques

48

(1)

Personal Reflections

49

(1)

Ideal Types

50

(3)

Pinching Pennies: The Story of Cheryl, A Conformist

53

(1)

Entitled to Work: The Case of Emily, a Nonconformist

54

(2)

Trying to Balance It All: The Story of Tammy, a Pragmatist

56

(3)

I'M the Breadwinner: the Case of Bobbi, a Pragmatist

59

(1)

Nonoverlapping Shift Work: The Case of Jean, an Innovator

60

(2)

Working From Home: the Case of Haley, an Innovator

62

(1)

Taking the Children to Work: the Case of Kate, an Innovator

63

(2)

Summary of Main Findings

65

(3)

Theoretical Paradigms for Understanding Maternal Labor Force Participation

68

(28)

Structural-Functionalist Paradigm

69

(1)

Rational Choice Paradigms

70

(6)

New Home Economics and Human Capital Theory

70

(1)

Sociostructural perspectives

71

(1)

Economic Need

72

(1)

Occupational Opportunity

72

(1)

Child Care Costs

72

(2)

Family Size

74

(1)

Father's Employment Schedule

75

(1)

Neoclassical Economic Theory

76

(3)

Feminist Paradigms

79

(4)

Race, Class, and Gender Model

83

(2)

Motherhood Ideology

85

(4)

Motherhood Ideology as a Variable

87

(1)

Gender Role Strategy

87

(1)

Gender Role Strategy Versus Motherhood Ideology

88

(1)

My Model

89

(3)

Structural-Functionalism

89

(1)

Rational Choice and Human Capital

90

(1)

Economic Need

90

(1)

Feminist Paradigms

90

(1)

Motherhood Ideology

91

(1)

Synthesis

92

(2)

Summary of Main Points

94

(2)

To Work or Not to Work? That Is the Question

96

(30)

Conformists

99

(4)

Nonconformists

103

(5)

Pragmatists

108

(7)

Factors Influencing Labor Force Decisions

109

(3)

The Part-Time Ideal

112

(3)

Innovators

115

(6)

Factors Influencing Labor Force Decisions

116

(5)

Summary of Qualitative Data

121

(1)

Quantitative Data

122

(3)

Relationship Between Motherhood Ideology and Maternal Labor Force Participation

123

(2)

Summary of Main Findings

125

(1)

``Are Children Better Off If They Have New Bikes Rather Than Having You at Home?'' Motherhood Ideology and the Construction of Economic Need

126

(20)

The Economics of Employment

127

(1)

Assessing Economic Need

127

(1)

Women's Labor Force Participation

128

(4)

More Women at ``Work''

129

(1)

Men's Wages Decline

130

(1)

The Rising Standard of Living

131

(1)

The Actual Construction of Economic Need

132

(2)

Mother's Statements

133

(1)

Conformists

134

(3)

Motherhood Ideology: Staying at Home Is the Only Way to Be a Good Mother

134

(1)

Budgeting to Live on One Income

135

(2)

Nonconformists, Pragmatists, and Innovators

137

(6)

Motherhood Ideology: Providing Financially for the Family Is Part of Being a Good Mother

137

(6)

Summary of Main Findings

143

(3)

``He's Got to Learn That the World Is Not Just He Alone'': Solving the Child Care Dilemma

146

(19)

Conformists

148

(3)

Homeschooling

150

(1)

Innovators

151

(3)

Maternal Versus Parental Care

151

(1)

Creating or Taking Advantage of Preexisting Patterns to Weave Work and Family?

152

(1)

Which Comes First, Beliefs or Behaviors?

153

(1)

Pragmatists

154

(2)

Nonconformists

156

(2)

Responsibility for Child Care

158

(2)

Summary of Major Findings

160

(5)

The Power of Ideology and the Ideology of Power

165

(24)

Understanding the Issues Theoretically

166

(2)

Structural-Functionalism

166

(1)

Rational Choice Theories

166

(1)

Economic Model

167

(1)

Feminist Models

167

(1)

This Study

168

(15)

Four Distinct Types of Mothers

169

(2)

Measurement Issues

171

(3)

The Role of Fathers

174

(4)

Turkey Cookies

178

(5)

The Power of Ideology

183

(3)

Changing Ideology?

184

(2)

As Children Grow

186

(3)

Appendix A: Interview Schedule

189

(6)

Appendix B: Demographics of the Interview Sample

195

(7)

Appendix C: Frequency Distributions for Relevant Demographic Variables Broken Down by Entire Sample, Volunteer Sample, and Interview Sample

202

(3)

Appendix D: Sampling and Measurement

205

(5)

Appendix E: Quantitative Data

210

(3)

References

213

(6)

Index

219

(14)

About the Author

233

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Women, Work, and Families : Balancing and Weaving

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials