More Than Motherhood

Abstract

This article examines motivations for entering family day care work as they relate to responsibilities of motherhood and the prominence of these motivations for the women providing day care within and across groups of workers. Using data from a large-scale representative survey of family day care workers in Illinois, the author examines the range of reasons for job entry. The author also uses cluster analysis to categorize workers by the common patterns of these reasons and uses demographic, family, and work characteristics to predict membership in these categories. The finding is that the majority of family day care workers are trying to meet a broad range of mothering responsibilities—including economic provision and commitments to kith, kin, and community—rather than focusing only on physical and emotional care of their own children. Furthermore, these differences vary strongly by race.