Childcare Stressors, Receipt of Childcare Subsidies, and Intimate Partner Violence Effect on Mothers' Work Stability

Background and Purpose:

The vast majority of married mothers are employed and more than a quarter will experience intimate partner violence (IPV). Working mothers who have to change childcare providers or miss school/work because childcare falls through experience work instability or loss of paid worktime and frequent job changes. Similarly, working mothers who experience IPV are also susceptible to workplace instability. Childcare subsidies have the potential to decrease this work instability because of the increased level of support provided to mothers.  The current study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) Are childcare stressors associated with work stability?; (2) Is IPV associated with work stability?; and (3) Does childcare subsidy moderate these relations?

 Methods: 

In this study, we focus on a subset of FFCW mothers (N=869) from the child age 3 data with complete data who are employed and using childcare for their children. A series of linear regressions are used to determine if childcare stressors decrease work stability, the impact of IPV and childcare stressors combined on workplace stability as well as the moderating effect of childcare subsidies on these relationships. Work stability is measured using a continuous variable of the number of weeks worked in 12-months, number of weekly hours worked, and the number of jobs held over three years. Childcare stressors are measured with four count variables: the number of different arrangements used, the number of times special arrangements were used because regular childcare fell through, the number of times work was missed because childcare fell through, and the number of times in the past 2 years that the child changed arrangements.  IPV was measured using the mean of 7 items asking about how frequently different types of violence occurred.  Demographic variables included job type, pay frequency, salary, income, age, race, education, household size, mental health problems, and alcohol and drug problems.

 Results:

Findings from this study show outcomes of work stability among working mothers using childcare are affected by childcare stressors and IPV. Childcare stressors were associated with a reduction in the number of weekly hours worked and the number of jobs held over three years. With the addition of IPV to the model, IPV is associated with a decrease in the number of weeks worked in 12-months and an increase in the number of jobs held over three years. Last, childcare subsidy decreased the relationship between the childcare stressors and IPV with number of jobs held over three years.

 Conclusions and Implications:

The findings suggest that childcare stressors and IPV adversely effect work stability. However, we find that government assistance in the form of childcare subsidy can reduce the effect of childcare stressors and IPV on work stability. In this, it seems that access to extra financial support can keep working mothers consistently working and avoid leaving an employer. Future research is needed to confirm the effect of childcare subsidies in terms of dollar amounts and types of childcare arrangements.