Determinants of Child Care Ideals among Mothers of Preschool-Aged Children

This paper explores the extent to which care by a childs parents is considered ideal at different preschool ages using data collected in 1986 for a probability sample of 1302 mothers of preschool-aged children living in the greater Detroit metropolitan area. Womens current use of child care marital and employment status income youngest childs age gender role ideology religion religiosity education race proximity to relatives and place of residence are all hypothesized to affect child care ideals. The data show that a majority of women view parental care as ideal at all preschool-ages with almost 1/3 taking this stance even when the childs mother is working. The strongest correlates of preferring parental care are living with a husband or male partner being out of the labor force espousing a traditional gender role ideology and attending religious services frequently. Income religion education and proximity to relatives are unrelated to child care ideals. The results are interpreted to indicate that child care ideals are not simply rationalizations for womens present circumstances but rather are part of a broader ideology of family and gender that reflects womens adult experiences. (authors)