ABSTRACT
Over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st, the United States has seen a dramatic demographic trend that shows a large majority of mothers are employed (Bianchi, 2000; A. E. Gottfried, A. W. Gottfried, & Bathurst, 2002). Not only has this trend occurred for mothers of school age children, but also for mothers of infants and preschoolers. The present chapter will not provide an exhaustive review of literature concerning the impact of maternal employment on children’s development. Such reviews have already been provided with the overall conclusion that maternal employment per se is not a detriment to children’s development from infancy through adolescence (e.g., see Etaugh, 1974; A. E. Gottfried & A. W. Gottfried, 1988a, 1988b; A. E. Gottfried, A. W. Gottfried, & Bathurst, 1995, 2002; Hoffman, 1974, 1984, 1989; Hoffman & Youngblade, 1999; Lerner, 1994). Rather it is the context of parental employment, rather than maternal employment per se, that is the potent and explanatory factor related to children’s development. This chapter presents issues that should redefine the future research agenda regarding maternal and dual-earner employment and children’s development.
