Working toward sustained employment: A closer look on intermittent employment of rural, low-income mothers

Abstract

Working at one point of time does not always mean sustained employment among low-income mothers. The purpose of this study is to investigate what contributes to the different patterns of longitudinal employment by tracking a sample of 131 rural, low-income mothers with intermittent employment over 3 waves. The intermittent employment trajectories are categorized as job change, job loss, and job gain. A mixed-methods approach was chosen to maximize the complementary nature of quantitative and qualitative data. The findings of both multinomial logistic regression and inductive analysis show that individual, family, and structural characteristics play important roles for sustained employment. Case studies vividly illustrate similarities and differences across the 3 patterns of intermittent employment. Copyright © 2010 Alliance for Children and Families.