The Relative Rewards and Costs of Parenthood and Employment for Employed Women

The perceived satisfactions and costs of parenthood and employment were examined and categorized for 123 professional and nonprofessional married women aged 28 to 39 who were employed full-time. High perceived role conflict between parenting and employment was associated with both lower parity and professional status. Women with large families more highly valued the companionship aspects of children and liked children more than did other women. Nonprofessionals were more concerned about extrinsic characteristics of the job (e.g., money), while professionals were more concerned about intrinsic factors (e.g., mental stimulation) and were more likely to see children as interfering with employment.