Guilt and the Working Parent

SynopsisAs a result of the current economic and social climate, people are moving, in some cases reluctantly, out of the traditional single-income family into a dual-income family. At least 40% of children under the age of four now have both parents in the workforce. It is the tenet of this study that such social changes have not occurred without many parents feeling ambivalent, stressed and guilty about the possible repercussions on family life and their children’s development. The lack of congruence between the expectations of traditional family roles and the emerging roles is seen to lead to conflict as couples juggle the role demands of parent, worker, partner and self. It was hypothesized that women would experience greater guilt than men, particularly in the roles of worker/parent; and that guilt can be increased by a number of factors relating to childrearing, role conflict, societal expectations, obligations and constraints. It was found, however, that men and women experienced role conflict and guilt to the same extent; although differences between them were observed in relation to the factors associated with guilt, its effects on their lives and the strategies used to combat it.