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Maternal Employment and Sex Typing in Early Adolescence

Contemporaneous and Longitudinal Relations

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Maternal Employment and Children’s Development

Part of the book series: Springer Studies in Work and Industry ((SSWI))

Abstract

One of the most remarkable sociocultural changes since World War II is the steady and substantial rise of women joining the labor force. With nearly 68% of married mothers with school-age children working outside of the home (Hayghe, 1986), maternal employment has clearly become a modal aspect of life in American families. The movement of mothers into the labor market constituted a departure from those behaviors that have been long considered to be inherent in the feminine sex role (Smith, 1979). As such, employed mothers crossed the boundaries drawn by shared societal expectations for appropriate behavior in women. It is this tension between cultural expectations for mothers and their actual choices over the last several decades that has stimulated much speculation and research about the lives of children whose mothers are employed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2, Canada

    Nancy L. Galambos

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

    Anne C. Petersen

  3. Department of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    Kathleen Lenerz

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  1. Nancy L. Galambos
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  2. Anne C. Petersen
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  3. Kathleen Lenerz
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California, USA

    Adele Eskeles Gottfried

  2. Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California, USA

    Allen W. Gottfried

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Galambos, N.L., Petersen, A.C., Lenerz, K. (1988). Maternal Employment and Sex Typing in Early Adolescence. In: Gottfried, A.E., Gottfried, A.W. (eds) Maternal Employment and Children’s Development. Springer Studies in Work and Industry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0830-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0830-8_6

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