FAMILY WORK: THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT ON SINGLE BLACK MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

This project examined how poor single mothers manage work and families. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, in collaboration with Aurora Jackson, investigated how poor mothers with young children manage the transition to self-sufficiency, especially in low-wage markets. Structured interviews with single black mothers who receive welfare benefits, and with former welfare recipients who are employed in low-wage jobs in New York City, provided information on job history, child care use, welfare receipt, other sources of income, maternal role conflict, mental health, coping, and parenting style. While much information has been gathered on the work and family lives of middle-class and upper-class parents, there is limited research on the intersection of work and family lives of low-income parents.

Funding Source: William T. Grant Foundation.