THE RELATIONSHIP OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT TO EARLY ADOLESCENT DAILY EXPERIENCE WITH AND WITHOUT PARENTS

This study examines how maternal work may shape pre- and young adolesc ents' daily life experience. According to the procedures of the Experi ence Sampling Method (ESM), 295 10-13-year-old children carried electr onic pagers for 1 week and completed self-report forms in response to random signals sent every other hour. Their daily experience did not d iffer by maternal employment status, with the following exceptions: fu ll-time maternal employment was associated with more time doing homewo rk with mothers and less time in general leisure, while part-time empl oyment was associated with more time doing sports with parents. Relati ve to those with nonemployed mothers, youth with part-time employed mo thers reported more positive daily moods and higher self-esteem, while youth reported time with full-time employed mothers to be the friendl iest. While children with employed mothers spent no less time with fam ily, parents, friends, in class or alone, they spent more time alone w ith fathers.