Beliefs about caregiving, women’s work, and childcare: an Alberta example

• Author / Creator

  Charchun, Julianna Kim

• Although a relationship between women’s work and use of child care is well-established, little is known about women’s beliefs about who (family or society) is responsible for this care. Using data from a province-wide survey, path analysis determined how beliefs about caregiving predict women’s decisions to work or use child care, at different stages of family life. Overall, Albertans believe caregiving is a social responsibility, particularly urban Albertans and women. Women’s social beliefs about caregiving predict working for women with preschool and school-age children, and women without children under 14, but do not directly predict use of care at all. Social beliefs are predicted by more education (women with preschool and school-age children) and more children (women with school-age children). The results of this study are presented using an ecological framework, and confirm that beliefs about caregiving should be considered in future studies of women’s labour force participation.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Women's labour force participation
  • Individual responsibility
  • Child care
  • Path analysis
  • Beliefs about caregiving
  • Women's work
  • Social responsibility
  • Ecological model
  • Alberta

• Graduation date

  Spring 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R39660

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.