The Social Support of Employed African American and Anglo Mothers

Using the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), we investigate the support received by employed African American and Anglo mothers of young children. Supports investigated include care of sick and out-of-school children, general baby-sitting assistance, and help with transportation. Supports received from family and friends were analyzed separately. Care for sick and out-of-school children is deemed to be a particularly important source of support, and African Americans are more likely than Anglos to receive this support from relatives. A discouraging finding is that for every type of support, mothers below the poverty line are no more likely to receive support than more affluent mothers.