Role Demands in the Lives of Employed Single Mothers With Preschoolers

Abstract

This study examined a range of factors associated with variations in single mothers' well-being (i.e., depression and role strain) and perceptions of their child's behavior. Seventy-six single, employed women with a preschool-age child completed a mailed survey. Multiple regression analyses indicated that variables reflecting the interface between work and family roles (e.g., beliefs about the consequences of maternal employment for children, perceived quality of child care) were important for both women's well-being and perceptions of children's behavior. Depression appeared to be more closely allied with the stability and resources in single mothers' lives; role strain, with the time and energy demands of work and the level of support available in the neighborhood. Interestingly, single women's perceptions of their children were associated with variables that reflect the larger ecology of their lives, including recency of single parenthood, the quality of their work life, and, as already noted, points of intersection between work and family roles.