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Title: Work, Family and Self-Esteem During the Transition to Adulthood
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Elliott, Marta E. |
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Work, Family and Self-Esteem During the Transition to Adulthood Ph.D. Dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University, 1995 Cohort(s): NLSY79 Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning Keyword(s): Divorce; Family Studies; Food Stamps (see Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); Labor Force Participation; Marriage; Parenthood; Self-Esteem; Transfers, Financial; Transition Rates, Activity to Work; Welfare; Women's Studies; Work Attitudes This study assesses the impact of women's work and family roles on change in their self-esteem as they make the transition to adulthood. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), supplemented with information from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) are used to study the determinants of change in self-esteem between 1980 and 1987 among a sample of white women aged 22-29 in 1987. They show that self-esteem changes modestly as women make the transitions to work, marriage and parenthood in their twenties. Self-esteem drifted upward by about one-third of a standard deviation unit between 1980 and 1987. The strongest predictor of positive change in self-esteem was for the woman to be employed in 1987. Among employed women, those earning higher wages enjoyed greater gains in self-esteem, while those working more hours and/or doing relatively repetitive work experienced losses. Time out of the labor force depressed self-esteem, but only temporarily since self-esteem rebounded when women returned to work. Married women had higher self-esteem, on average, than non-married women, regardless of a history of divorce, separation or widowhood. Being a mother, however, led to loss of self-esteem over the 7 year period. This effect increased in strength the longer a woman had children. Among women who were employed, however, the negative impact of motherhood was much weaker, suggesting that the employee role protects mothers from social isolation and financial strains. Receipt of government transfer payments had a continuous and accumulating toll on self-esteem, in that the longer a woman received unemployment compensation or food stamps, the lower her self-esteem became. These effects, unlike that of being out of the labor force, did not disappear when women stopped receiving government assistance, indicating that being a welfare recipient has a lasting negative impact on self-image. The results of this study have implications for how women may combine work and family to optimize their overall psychological well-being. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance for society of improving opportunities for all women to participate in the paid labor force. |
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Bibliography Citation
Elliott, Marta E. Work, Family and Self-Esteem During the Transition to Adulthood. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University, 1995. |