TY  - JOUR
AB  - Expands on research which has demonstrated that employment has positive or neutral effects on women’s health. This pilot study examines whether these positive effects could also be found in employed mothers by comparing working mothers with non‐working mothers on measures of mental health, self‐esteem, and mother role satisfaction. Also this study assesses the stress experienced by these mothers and examines the coping strategies used by them. Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 101 were returned giving a 50.5 per cent return rate of which 78 per cent were working mothers and 22 per cent non‐working mothers. The working mothers had better mental health and reported less depression than the non‐working mothers. The most frequently reported source of stress for working mothers was not having enough time to do everything, whereas for non‐working mothers lack of social life was a major stressor. The findings of this study support the expansion hypothesis, which emphasizes the benefits rather than the costs of multiple role involvement.
VL  - 12
IS  - 7
SN  - 0964-9425
DO  - 10.1108/09649429710181234
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09649429710181234
AU  - Rout Usha R.
AU  - Cooper Cary L.
AU  - Kerslake Helen
PY  - 1997
Y1  - 1997/01/01
TI  - Working and non‐working mothers: a comparative study
T2  - Women in Management Review
PB  - MCB UP Ltd
SP  - 264
EP  - 275
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -