Midlife mothers’ perceptions on their work force behaviors
The number of women participating in the work force has increased significantly during the past few decades. Unfortunately, the labor force behaviors of mothers are still greatly influenced by their parenthood. Consequently, even though their participation has increased, their motherhood remains a critical factor, one that plays a crucial part in their working behaviors and can trigger the motherhood penalty effect. Most of the previous research that explored mother’s patterns concerning work force participation was based on the theme of motherhood as a single state. This research aims
to introduce family life cycle perception of occupational status via the mother’s points of view. The period of midlife has been selected, a period which enables introspection into former occupational history and a solid base for future planning. 50 Midlife mothers have participated in a mixed method research that explored their perceptions about their parenthood. Preliminary qualitative findings concerning their working behaviors are being introduced. The instrument selected for this qualitative study was in-depth semistructured guide. The initial results support the idea that motherhood has a continuous crucial effect on mothers’ work force decisions via their family life cycle. 44 out of 50 midlife mothers changed their working behaviors as a direct result of their parenthood.
midlife mothers, women’s work force behaviors, family life cycle
Sara Oren – Doctoral School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Romania E-mail: happyfamily.you@gmail.com
