Providing, Performing and Protecting: How Employed Single Mothers Navigate Work-Family Meaning

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
pp. 12014
Author(s):  
Laura Suzanne Radcliffe ◽  
Catherine Cassell ◽  
Fatima Malik
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Family Meaning

scholarly journals Single Mothers’ Perspectives on the Combination of Motherhood and Work

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Dries Van Gasse ◽  
Dimitri Mortelmans
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Family System ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Role Strain ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Work Family

This study aims to define the perspectives taken by single mothers when combining work and motherhood in a stressful work–life constellation. One of the challenges for single mothers after divorce is to find a work–life balance in their single-parent family system. Regarding work-life balance, we take a General Strain Perspective, describing the work-life conflict as a combination of financial strain and role strain. We argue that both strains are the most problematic for single mothers in comparison to their married and/or male counterparts, as both finances and parenthood ideologies are more under pressure. For this reason, we explore how single mothers coped with this strain, answering the question: ‘Which perspectives on the combination motherhood and work do single mothers take in their attempt to balance role strain and financial strain after divorce?’ To answer this research question, we used a qualitative approach, based on 202 in-depth interviews with single mothers in Belgium. These interviews involved two groups: A primary research population of 13 single mothers and an elaborative research population of 189 single mothers. Timelines were used to structure the single mothers’ narratives. The analysis resulted in the contruction of a typology of four different perspectives based on how single mothers dealt with maternal role strain and financial strain: the re-invented motherhood perspective, the work-family symbiosis perspective, the work-centered motherhood perspective and the work-family conflicted perspective. We found that perspective of single mothers in their work-life strain can be described by the flexibility and/or strictness in either their motherhood ideology and/or their work context. These results point at the needs for policymakers, employers, and practitioners to focus on initiatives improving the work–life balance of single mothers by reducing financial and role strains.

Work–family conflict and parental strain among Canadian Armed Forces single mothers: The role of coping

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Skomorovsky ◽  
Deborah Norris ◽  
Ekaterina Martynova ◽  
Kendra J. McLaughlin ◽  
Cynthia Wan
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Parental Strain ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Work Family

scholarly journals Association of work-family experience with mid- and late-life memory decline in US women

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (23) ◽  
pp. e3072-e3080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Rose Mayeda ◽  
Taylor M. Mobley ◽  
Robert E. Weiss ◽  
Audrey R. Murchland ◽  
Lisa F. Berkman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Married Mothers ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Study Participants

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that life course patterns of employment, marriage, and childrearing influence later-life rate of memory decline among women, we examined the relationship of work-family experiences between ages 16 and 50 years and memory decline after age 55 years among US women.MethodsParticipants were women ages ≥55 years in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants reported employment, marital, and parenthood statuses between ages 16 and 50 years. Sequence analysis was used to group women with similar work-family life histories; we identified 5 profiles characterized by similar timing and transitions of combined work, marital, and parenthood statuses. Memory performance was assessed biennially from 1995 to 2016. We estimated associations between work-family profiles and later-life memory decline with linear mixed-effects models adjusted for practice effects, baseline age, race/ethnicity, birth region, childhood socioeconomic status, and educational attainment.ResultsThere were 6,189 study participants (n = 488 working nonmothers, n = 4,326 working married mothers, n = 530 working single mothers, n = 319 nonworking single mothers, n = 526 nonworking married mothers). Mean baseline age was 57.2 years; average follow-up was 12.3 years. Between ages 55 and 60, memory scores were similar across work-family profiles. After age 60, average rate of memory decline was more than 50% greater among women whose work-family profiles did not include working for pay after childbearing, compared with those who were working mothers.ConclusionsWomen who worked for pay in early adulthood and midlife experienced slower rates of later-life memory decline, regardless of marital and parenthood status, suggesting participation in the paid labor force may protect against later-life memory decline.

scholarly journals Between Money and Love: Work-family Conflict Among Swedish Low-income Single Mothers

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Roman
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Depth Interviews

Research suggests that single mothers are an increasingly vulnerable group in Scandinavia. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this study takes a closer look at challenges faced by Swedish working-class and low-income single mothers. It explores how working conditions and economic resources influence their access to valued practices, such as the possibility to reconcile paid work and family commitments. It is assumed that discrepancies between mothers’ notions of good mothering and their ability to act in accordance with these values give rise to conflicts and dilemmas. Findings show that lack of financial resources and low control over their work situation significantly limited the mothers’ possibility to combine various responsibilities and to practice the kind of mothering they preferred. Furthermore, the opening hours of preschools frequently did not match the mothers’ working schedules, and they could often not effectively benefit from some of the social rights granted by the Swedish welfare state.

Experiencing work–family enrichment as a separated parent in Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 144078332110312
Author(s):  
Annelies Van den Eynde ◽  
Dimitri Mortelmans
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Single Mothers ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Positive Interaction ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

Contrary to approaching work and family as conflictual roles, a shift towards acknowledgement of the positive interaction between work and family has been detected. This research investigated whether married/cohabiting and divorced/separated parents differ in terms of work–family enrichment, considering their gender and relationship status after separation. Data from 3993 married/cohabiting and 1455 divorced/separated parents from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) database were analysed using regression analysis. The results revealed a complex interplay of relationship status and gender. Single mothers experience more work–family enrichment after a break-up than do mothers with a partner. No differences were found for fathers.

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