Resisters, mimics and coincidentals

Intergenerational Influences on Childcare Values and Practices

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2172200
AutoresHenrietta O’connor (0000-0003-1851-6307, autor de correspondencia), Henrietta O''Connor, Henrietta O'Connor (University of Leicester)
Año2011
Volumen14
Número4
Páginas405-423
Fecha de publicación2011-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCommunity Work & Family (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1366-8803 • E-ISSN: 1469-3615
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13668803.2011.574869
OpenAlexW2143494358
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas18

The rapid increase in the rate of female participation in the labour market in the post-war period is a well-documented trend. However, the experiences of mothers balancing paid work and childcare responsibilities have received academic attention only in recent decades. Working class mothers, who have a long history of combining paid work and domestic responsibilities, have been neglected in the literature. There has also been a lack of research examining the impact of intergenerational transmission on the values and practices of mothers within families. This paper addresses this gap by examining the childcare strategies and employment decisions of two cohorts of working women within family chains: grandmothers and mothers. It is argued that the role of intergenerational transmission is of key importance in understanding mothers’ decisions about combining work and childcare responsibilities. Indeed, the paper illustrates that the behaviour of mothers is frequently influenced by their own mothers’ actions, either positively, by ‘mimicking’ their role, or negatively, by avoiding the reproduction of their mothers’ behaviour. However, this pattern can be understood fully only by reflecting on the impact of both the temporal context and the current life course stage of the mothers and grandmothers

Context (archaeology · Demographic economics · Developmental psychology · Economics · Labour economics · Life course approach · Paid work · Reproduction · Sociology · Work (physics · Working hours · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Social Psychology