There is perhaps no greater controversy resulting from womens'
increasing autonomy than the debate over the effects of a mother's
employment on family life and children's well-being. This important
volume starts with a thorough review of previous research on this topic
and then reports the results of a study designed to answer the key
questions that emerge. The study focuses on 448 families with an
elementary school child, living in an industrialized city in the
Midwest. They include both one-parent and two-parent families, African
Americans and Whites, and a broad range of economic circumstances.
Extensive data have been obtained from mothers, fathers, children,
teachers, classroom peers, and school records. The analysis reported
reveals how the mother's employment status affects the father's role,
the mother's sense of well-being, and child rearing patterns and how
these, in turn, affect the child. The book provides an intimate picture
of urban life and how families cope with mothers' employment.