WHY COLLEGE‐TRAINED MOTHERS WORK

Abstract

In an attempt to identify factors that influence the decision to work outside the home among currently married women with children at home, data were collected from 240 women who had been freshmen at the University of Minnesota during one of the years 1933‐36. Hypotheses were tested within Sobol's “commitment to work” conceptual framework. The chi‐square technique was used to test discrete variables and analysis of variance was used with continuous data. The .05 level of confidence was used. Findings indicated that as compared to non‐employed mothers, full‐time employed mothers: (a) had a higher mean score on the Minnesota Scholastic Aptitude Test; (b) were less satisfied with their marriages and with life in general; (c) were likely to have more education than their husbands; (d) were more likely to have sought vocational counseling while in college; (e) had a lower median family income.