Stephanie A. Williamson and Dr. Bruce Chadwick, Sociology
A brief observation of national trends reveals a steady increase in the rate of employment among women. Predictably, this demographic change introduces countless contemporary issues. The issue examined by this study was the link between maternal employment and deviant behavior among children.
Development during the early childhood years is both crucial and complex. Capability in various domains typically evolves during this time, providing the foundation for a complete spectrum of competency to eventually blossom. External factors greatly impact these developing domains and the pace of progression a young child may achieve. Maternal influence is an especially permeating factor. Though the complete impression a mother has on her child is perhaps immeasurable, she undoubtedly has some influence on her child’s growth and behavior. American society has seen a relatively recent transformation of formerly accepted maternal roles. A few decades ago, most married mothers assumed traditionally defined positions in the home. In 1960, for example, only 39 percent of married women with children ages 6-17 were employed (U.S. Census Bureau, 1995). In 1999 however, almost 75 percent of this same group were employed (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Whether motivated by opportunities for financial success, business prowess, or personal satisfaction, the path of modern married mothers has turned to the work force.
Such a dramatic shift in maternal employment trends prompts concern for possible repercussions among children. Scholastically, for example, if a mother’s employment limits her interaction with daily homework assignments, parent-teacher associations, or classroom activities, her child’s academic perspectives and behaviors may digress from outcomes otherwise predicted. A mother’s meaningful guidance can fundamentally mold her child’s actions. Based on this premise, I proposed an analysis to identify relationships between maternal employment and the subsequent conduct of their offspring. Specifically, I planned to observe deviant behaviors of children with employed mothers in comparison to deviance of children with mothers in the home. I also originally wanted to investigate self-concept as a possible connecting link between maternal employment and offspring deviance.
My analysis stemmed from comprehensive data within The National Survey of Families and Households, also called NSFH (Sweet & Bumpass, 1996). The first wave of this survey was administered from 1987-1988 to over 13,000 people, with the second wave following from 1992- 1994. As proposed, I examined maternal employment, child and parent reports of child behavior, and child reports of self-concept. All of this data was drawn from children ages 10-17 in the 1994 NSFH wave. Initially, I determined mothers’ working status in 1988 and in 1994. Linking the active working status of mothers between the two waves indicated a pattern of continued employment. Therefore, among the children with working mothers, maternal employment preceded all behaviors reported in 1994.
Again, part of my initial intent was to examine the possibility of self-concept as a fusing element between deviant child behavior and maternal employment. NSFH data, however, revealed statistically insignificant differences between the two samples of children in this area. Due to self-concept’s apparent irrelevance, my focus turned to emphasize the relationship of delinquent child behaviors and maternal employment alone.
Most deviant behavior statistics were related to maternal employment status. Seventy-four percent of kids with working mothers had drunk alcohol; 69 percent of at-home mothers’ children reported drinking. Over a three-month period, 93 percent of working moms had open disagreements with their child about his or her sexual behavior, drinking, smoking, or drug use. Eighty-nine percent of at-home moms had these same disagreements during that time period. The two groups of children also reflected differences in school behavior. Twenty-six percent of employed mothers and 17 percent of at-home mothers had a child who had ever repeated a grade. Children with mothers at work also got in fights at school more often. In addition, 22 percent of kids with employed mothers met with the principal and a parent in the past year, in contrast to 16 percent of children whose mothers were not employed. School suspensions had occurred for 16 percent of kids with working mothers and for 11 percent of those with at-home mothers.
Surprisingly, more at-home moms reported that their children were disobedient at school and had trouble getting along with teachers. Mothers in the home also reported more frequently that their children had trouble getting along with others. These mothers also indicated more often that their kids argued too much and bullied others. After a fairly consistent trend of sample differences in deviant behavior, this reversal was unexpected. One possible explanation for such a statistical change is parental awareness of child behavior. Employed mothers’ necessarily reduced amount of time in the home may limit first-hand observations of their children’s behaviors. More at-home moms claimed that their kids bullied, argued, and struggled in peer relationships, yet in reality, school fights and behavioral disciplinary action were more common among children with employed moms. Also, more at-home moms believed that their kids were disobedient at school and had conflict with teachers, but more employed moms reported administrative meeting requests concerning child behavior. Though these variances are not conclusive, they suggest differing levels of behavioral awareness among parents. Overall, evidence from the NSFH interview responses points strongly to a consistent relationship of maternal employment to increased rates of offspring deviance. The conclusions drawn from this study are both enlightening and troubling. Such findings dictate that currently prominent patterns of mothers entering the workplace will continue to echo distinctly in delinquent behaviors among children.