Mother and Worker? The Negotiation of Motherhood and Paid Employment in Two Urban Neighborhoods

Geographers have shown considerable interest in the geographies of working mothers and childcare; however, the question “Why do some mothers with young children work outside the home and others do not?” has received less attention. This paper provides an analysis of how, within two urban neighborhoods, some mothers come to care for their preschool-aged children full time and others employ a range of strategies that enable them to undertake full- or part-time employment. In doing so, the paper makes three principal contributions to current knowledge in the field. First, it illustrates the importance of studying a diverse group of mothers, including those not in paid work; second, it highlights the significance of place-rooted cultures in shaping mothers' employment and childcare choices; and finally, it shows how the spatial prescription in dominant childrearing ideologies is beginning to be reworked.