Work-Family Conflicts: Challenges of Working Mothers with Young Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore challenges mothers tend to face in dual-earner family settings. Qualitative methodologies were used; observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 dual-earner families with children. The findings suggest that these working mothers appear to believe there are inevitable and significant challenges that are intrinsic to the dual-earner family arrangement. These are lack of good quality of child care, feelings of parenting guilt, gaps between working mother's work schedule and the education system, gender inequality in unpaid work, prejudice against working mothers, difficulties of time division and unavailable family-friendly system are the important sources of work-family conflicts. In addition, paid work and its intersection with family life imprints deeply into the health and well-being of working mothers. Political and practical considerations are discussed, and the implications of this study for future research are identified.