Work

Doing It All? Mothers' College Enrollment, Time Use, and Affective Well‐being

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: The rising share of women in college with dependent children and growing emphasis on two-generation policies for reducing socioeconomic inequality have galvanized research aimed at determining whether mothers' increased education can improve their and their children's well-being. Yet as part of this effort, scholars have overlooked signs that mothers' college enrollment may not be unequivocally good for families. This research brief aims to bring greater attention to this "side of the story." To do so, we analyze time diary (2003-2015) and well-being data (2010, 2011, 2013) from the American Time Use Survey. We find that mothers in college experience a time squeeze that limits their time in caregiving, self-care, and work, on one hand, and school-related activities on the other. This time squeeze may explain why mothers enrolled in college (compared to mothers who were not in school) also reported less happiness and more fatigue during activities with their children.

Source: Journal of Marriage and the Family

DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12477

Authors: Jennifer March Augustine, Kate C. Prickett, Daniela V. Negraia

Institutions: University of South Carolina, University of Chicago

Language: English

Topic: Work-Family Balance Challenges

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development