Mothering Ideology and Work Involvement in Late Pregnancy: A Clustering Approach

D. Loyal (1) , Anne-Laure Sutter (1, 2) , N. Rascle (1)

1 BPH - Bordeaux population health
2 Centre hospitalier Charles Perrens [Bordeaux]

The aim of this study was to identify cognitive acrobatics performed by French women during late pregnancy (n = 139) to reconcile intensive mothering ideology (IMI) and work involvement. A hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward method, squared Euclidian distance) was performed to define different patterns. Thus 4 clusters were retained: (1) women devoted to IMI (27%), (2) women devoted to IMI and worried about the consequences of maternal work for children (13%), (3) women not devoted to IMI (35%), (4) women not devoted to IMI and disengaged from work (25%). They exhibited differences regarding socio-demographic and psychological variables. Mainly, women devoted to IMI and worried about the consequences of maternal work for children (Cluster 2) showed more depressive symptoms (38.9%) and preoccupied attachment. They were also planning to go back to work later (50%) and not to breastfeed (39%) even if they had a highly positive attitude about breastfeeding (67%). These results are discussed in terms of socio-psychological resources and requirements regarding perinatal adjustment. Considering women's values and beliefs is crucial to understand better how mothering and employment demands are experienced.

Mots clés: Intensive Mothering Ideology; Motherhood; Multiples Roles; Pregnancy; Psychological Distress; Work Family Balance

Domaines: Psychologie

D. Loyal, Anne-Laure Sutter, N. Rascle. Mothering Ideology and Work Involvement in Late Pregnancy: A Clustering Approach. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2017, 26 (10), pp.2921-2935. ⟨10.1007/s10826-017-0786-5⟩. ⟨hal-03472291⟩