Providing, Performing and Protecting: The Importance of Work Identities in Negotiating Conflicting Work–Family Ideals as a Single Mother

Laura Radcliffe,Catherine Cassell,Fatima Malik

doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12472

Laura Radcliffe, Catherine Cassell + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12472

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Abstract

AbstractThe aims of this paper are twofold. First, we aim to expand understanding of work–family experiences beyond the prevalent emphasis on traditional couple‐headed families within organization and management literatures by focusing on the experiences of employed single mothers. Second, we aim to gain insight into how work and family meanings may be negotiated in the context of heightened conflicting ideals and demands. Drawing on rich qualitative data from in‐depth interviews and diaries, our findings make three important contributions to the existing work–family literature. First, we show that conflicting work and family ideals are not only exacerbated for single mothers, but viable narrative strategies with which to negotiate this conflict are also restricted. Second, we highlight how narratives constructed around the meaning of work are key to single mothers’ negotiation of conflicting work and family ideals and identify three work narratives drawn upon by single mothers focused on providing, performing and protecting. Finally, we demonstrate how shifts between single mothers’ work narratives are particularly influenced by progression opportunities and a supportive work environment. We conclude by making suggestions for future work–family research.

Highlights

Within the extensive work–family literature presented in management journals to date, there has been a predominant focus on family as constituting the ‘nuclear’ model of a heterosexual married couple, living with biological children, in which division of domestic and economic labour is usually gendered (Gatrell et al, 2014)
In answering our first research question, we focused on the challenges employed single mothers face in navigating work and family
Our findings revealed two additional pressures experienced by single mothers: first, the experience of concurrent sole breadwinner–caregiver pressures and second, pressures related to navigating the stigmatized single-mother identity

Summary

Introduction

Within the extensive work–family literature presented in management journals to date, there has been a predominant focus on family as constituting the ‘nuclear’ model of a heterosexual married couple, living with biological children, in which division of domestic and economic labour is usually gendered (Gatrell et al, 2014). Nieuwenhuis and Laurie, 2018) and family studies (Moilanen et al, 2019b), have explored single parents’ experiences, recognizing that, due to lack of another adult within the household, single parents are likely to experience greater challenges in managing competing role requirements Greenhaus and Powell, 2017; Masterson and Hoobler, 2015; Radcliffe and Cassell, 2014) This is despite single mothers’ experiences being relevant to this literature given that, in the UK, the majority (69.9%) are in paid employment (ONS, 2019), with around half working full-time (ONS, 2019). Half of those who are unemployed cite challenges with childcare and limited workplace flexibility (DfE, 2018). Despite evidence highlighting challenging circumstances for single mothers managing work and family, they have frequently been without a voice in management literatures (Bakker and Karsten, 2013)

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