Supports and Deterrents for Mothers Working outside the Home

Abstract

Attitudes toward the working mother have long been influenced by the implicit assumption that men support children, whereas women raise them. Yet, in 1975, one-half of all women with children under the age of 18 worked outside the home, one-third of whom had children under the age of six. Working mothers are found at all socioeconomic levels and have a wide range of reasons for working, suggesting that working mothers and their families have diverse needs. The implications of the growing trend toward mothers working outside the home for the development of social programs and treatment modalities are profound. Maternal employment reflects, in part, the changing character of the American family but most programs addressing maternal employment were developed to deal with family problems. The Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program has the most consistent set of policies which address maternal employment. But this approach to maternal employment has been inconsistent and limited to a specific group of women. The most important public response to maternal employment is that which would insure freedom of choice among many roles.