Working Mothers and the Meaning of Paid Work: Attitudes toward Provider Roles and Occupational Roles among Non-College-Educated Women

Abstract

is article looks at the meaning of paid work among non-college-educated mothers. e main research questions are: How do women without college degrees consider working and earning income while rearing children? and How do they perceive their occupational role, in terms of a job or a career ? To explore these questions, we used our interview and observation data on working mothers with at least one child under six years old, gathered over ve years. e results show that respondents with a high school education tended to see their husbands as the main earner and themselves as nancially supporting their family as mother or wife, while those with vocational school education tended to see both husbands and wives as the main earners that each have careers. However, in comparison with college-educated women in previous studies, these respondents received less support from their husbands in terms of their careers, housework, and childrearing. As for class and gender, they tend to face more obstacles than men and college-educated women because of their dual roles as earners and caretakers.