Attitudes Toward Working Mothers and Work-Oriented Fathers : A Sociological Perspective

• In Event: 30260 - Joint Roundtables: Section on Social Psychology and Section on Sociology of Emotions
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 8: Social Psychology of Work

Abstract

This study explores the changing social attitudes towards working mothers and working fathers, and the interaction of gender norms with economic structures and family dynamics in a rapidly changing social context. Using 2022 General Social Survey (GSS) data, it explores how demographic factors (income, gender, age, and employment), in turn, affect public perceptions of parental place in the workforce.
This study finds that while societal attitudes towards maternal employment have softened, old gender norms remain as they oppress mothers more disproportionately than they do fathers, with stigmas brewing for that order of household members united by roles in care work. Working parents with higher incomes were more supportive, perhaps because better access to resources like childcare and flexible work times allowed them to reconcile their family and work lives, while less well-off groups were more cynical, reflecting economic precariousness.
The findings highlight the importance of structural changes around paid parental leave, subsidized childcare and working parent’s flexibility to relieve pressure on working parents and undercutting entrenched gendered expectations. Through a sociological lens, this research extends our knowledge of barriers and opportunities to equitable work and family balance by exploring these dynamics.

Author

• Spoorthi Golla Vasantha Narender, Lynn university