THE EFFECTS OF ROLE STRAIN ON SINGLE, WORKING, BLACK MOTHERS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR YOUNG-CHILDREN

This analysis investigated whether variations in mothers' feelings of role strain account for some of the variance in their perceptions of t heir three- and four-year-old children, The analysis uses data from a larger study of single, black, employed mothers (N = 111) who were for mer recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Findings re vealed that mothers who had had some involvement in education or train ing beyond high school maintained more positive views of their childre n, regardless of the sex of the children. However, boys were perceived significantly more negatively then girls by mothers who were high in role strain acid who had attained no education beyond high school. Res ults suggest that education may moderate potentially negative conseque nces of role strain for children, especially boys, in families headed by single black mothers balancing work and family roles in poverty and near-poverty circumstances.