Motherhood and the Market: Mothering and Employment Opportunities among Mexicana, African-American and Euro-American Family Day Care Workers

Abstract

While previous research identifies the ideology of the full-time, at-home mother as a primary force that influences women's entry into family day care work, this study reveals a more complex relationship between motherhood and women's paid labor. This study is based on field research including in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 family day care workers of diverse racial / ethnic, cultural and class backgrounds (African-American, Mexicana and Euro-American). While the responsibilities of unwaged caregiving do draw women in this study into family day care work, the practices, responsibilities and opportunities of motherhood vary greatly among these workers due to their racial / ethnic identity, cultural identity and social class. As such, we see these women's entry into family day care as a result of multiple forces and responsibilities, not the least of which is opportunities existing in a market economy shaped by racial / ethnic, gender and class relations.