Work Status and Parent Care: A Comparison of Four Groups of Women

Four groups of parent caring daughters were compared. Two groups were nonworkers: traditional homemakers and those who had quit jobs to help their mothers. Two groups were workers: the “conflicted,” who had reduced their working hours or considered quitting and those who had not. The conflicted workers and women who had quit work had the most impaired mothers and more of them had experienced lifestyle disruptions and caregiving strain. Both groups of workers were more career-oriented; both groups of nonworkers held more traditional views of women's roles.