This thesis explores some of the individual attitudes and choices which may explain differing patterns in women's work in England and France. Women's work, however, cannot be considered outside the context of their family lives, and there exist important differences between England and France in terms of the structures in place to facilitate the combining of paid work and family commitments. It is proposed that these are related to broader social and economic structures which characterise the countries concerned, and the family and gender roles assumed by them. The question addressed, therefore, is the relationship between work identity and female identity. This is examined by comparing full-time working women, both single and with families, in the two countries. Since the question concerns meanings rather than frequencies, quantitative methods such as surveys are rejected in favour of a triangulated methodology combining repertory grid, Twenty Statements Test and in- depth interview. The results from each of these are reported separately. There is strong convergence within and clear differences between national groups, regardless of marital status. French and English groups are both committed to working, but this takes different forms in the two countries. The French women define themselves equally in terms of work, personal relationships and social lives, with relatively little conflict between them. For the English women, work identity comes first, there is more conflict between work and family roles and more tension in personal relationships. This may partly be accounted for by the English women's greater concern with career progression and personal advancement, which is more likely to conflict with family roles. The findings are related to broader issues of economic, social and family policy, historical factors, religious traditions and attitudes towards gender and equality. These themselves are seen as reflecting more general ideologies in the countries concerned. Finally, there is a consideration of questions raised by the study, and suggestions for further research.

Australia is one of the most popular countries for immigrants to settle. Many highly qualified Indians from India have made Australia their home, and they hold important positions in the Australian work-force. The Australian work-force now consists not only of employees from different countries, but also of parents who try to balance their work roles and family roles simultaneously. For dual-earner families this can be difficult and could lead to increased job stress and work family conflict. Due to these cultural and gender differences, experiences in the paid work-force cannot be assumed to be the same for all employees. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of culture and gender among working professionals in Australia and to study the interactional patterns within dual-earner couples in the Australian work-force. This was exploratory research and was conducted using three studies. All studies were cross-sectional, and qualitative as well as quantitative measures were used for data collection. In the first study data were collected from matched pairs of 10 Australian and 10 Indian born mothers who were employed in the Australian work-force. Interviews were conducted and responses to the interview were recorded. Results suggested some significant differences in job stress, with Australian mothers experiencing more job stress than Indian mothers. Further, interview results indicated that women from both cultures were responsible for most of the household work. Study two of the thesis combined culture and gender to investigate job satisfaction, work stress and work family conflict among Australian men and women working in the Australian work-force (N = 58). A 2 X 2 ANOVA was used for this. There were no cultural differences found among men and women of both cultures on measures of job satisfaction, work-family conflict and family-work conflict. However, cultural differences were observed on the job stress scale with Australian men and women experiencing more job stress than Indian men and women. There were also significant gender differences in job stress, workfamily- conflict and family-work conflict. Australian men and Indian men reported higher family-work conflict. Results of this study revealed significant gender differences and therefore, the third study was designed to investigate these gender differences further. Study three investigated the role of gender and work stress variables through crossover and spillover research. Many gender differences in predictors of fatigue, job stress and dyadic adjustment were found among couples both working in white collar professions. This study too strengthened the traditional gender role with women experiencing higher job stress and family-work conflict. It is suggested that these findings contribute to the work-stress literature in three ways. Findings confirm that gender, rather than culture, are responsible for differences among immigrants in their perception of job satisfaction, work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Findings also confirm the traditional gender role of women, who are responsible for most domestic household work, and also demonstrate that increase in work-family conflict and family-work conflict contributes to an increase in job stress among dual-earner couples. This research has provided an insight into factors contributing to both crossover and spillover among Australian dual earner professionals, an area which has not received much attention. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1365266 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2009

Australia is one of the most popular countries for immigrants to settle. Many highly qualified Indians from India have made Australia their home, and they hold important positions in the Australian work-force. The Australian work-force now consists not only of employees from different countries, but also of parents who try to balance their work roles and family roles simultaneously. For dual-earner families this can be difficult and could lead to increased job stress and work family conflict. Due to these cultural and gender differences, experiences in the paid work-force cannot be assumed to be the same for all employees. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of culture and gender among working professionals in Australia and to study the interactional patterns within dual-earner couples in the Australian work-force. This was exploratory research and was conducted using three studies. All studies were cross-sectional, and qualitative as well as quantitative measures were used for data collection. In the first study data were collected from matched pairs of 10 Australian and 10 Indian born mothers who were employed in the Australian work-force. Interviews were conducted and responses to the interview were recorded. Results suggested some significant differences in job stress, with Australian mothers experiencing more job stress than Indian mothers. Further, interview results indicated that women from both cultures were responsible for most of the household work. Study two of the thesis combined culture and gender to investigate job satisfaction, work stress and work family conflict among Australian men and women working in the Australian work-force (N = 58). A 2 X 2 ANOVA was used for this. There were no cultural differences found among men and women of both cultures on measures of job satisfaction, work-family conflict and family-work conflict. However, cultural differences were observed on the job stress scale with Australian men and women experiencing more job stress than Indian men and women. There were also significant gender differences in job stress, workfamily- conflict and family-work conflict. Australian men and Indian men reported higher family-work conflict. Results of this study revealed significant gender differences and therefore, the third study was designed to investigate these gender differences further. Study three investigated the role of gender and work stress variables through crossover and spillover research. Many gender differences in predictors of fatigue, job stress and dyadic adjustment were found among couples both working in white collar professions. This study too strengthened the traditional gender role with women experiencing higher job stress and family-work conflict. It is suggested that these findings contribute to the work-stress literature in three ways. Findings confirm that gender, rather than culture, are responsible for differences among immigrants in their perception of job satisfaction, work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Findings also confirm the traditional gender role of women, who are responsible for most domestic household work, and also demonstrate that increase in work-family conflict and family-work conflict contributes to an increase in job stress among dual-earner couples. This research has provided an insight into factors contributing to both crossover and spillover among Australian dual earner professionals, an area which has not received much attention. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1365266 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2009

No description available.

U.S. working mothers experience frequent daily hassles, yet little is known about how working mothers have disproportionate abilities to handle stress. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the extent to which coping self-efficacy mediated the effect that cumulative daily hassles had on working mothers' health outcomes (i.e., physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health). The transactional model of stress and coping, social cognitive theory, and self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical foundations for this study. Daily hassles were used for this study as an additional theoretical approach for measuring stress. A total of 235 working mothers completed the Daily Hassles Scale, Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, and Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) on a secure online website. The respondents reported moderate confidence in their abilities to cope with life despite experiencing an average of 44 daily hassles per month. Simple regressions confirmed repeated exposure to daily hassles was significantly associated with reduced coping self-efficacy and health outcomes. Mediation with multiple regression analysis revealed that coping self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between cumulative daily hassles and health outcomes, suggesting coping self-efficacy was a protective psychosocial factor for working mothers. This study contributes to positive social change by aiding practitioners in identifying protective psychosocial factors and helping working mothers to implement the findings with the intention of reducing daily hassles and improving health outcomes.

No description available.

Working mothers face various challenges today, one of which is to be a mother, wife,caretaker and employee all at the same time. Fulfilling these challenging and sometimes demanding roles can contribute to role overload and conflict, which can have a negative impact on organisational effectiveness, as well as the overall wellbeing of the working mother. This dissertation outlines the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers from a salutogenic perspective. The Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), Orientations to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced (COPE) Questionnaire were used to measure the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers. The study was conducted with 102 working mothers representing different ethnic groups and occupational levels in different occupational fields and organisations. A theoretical relationship was established. The empirical investigation provided evidence of such a relationship and it seems that coping styles can be predicted from considering personality dimensions and sense of coherence. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Working mothers face various challenges today, one of which is to be a mother, wife,caretaker and employee all at the same time. Fulfilling these challenging and sometimes demanding roles can contribute to role overload and conflict, which can have a negative impact on organisational effectiveness, as well as the overall wellbeing of the working mother. This dissertation outlines the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers from a salutogenic perspective. The Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), Orientations to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced (COPE) Questionnaire were used to measure the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers. The study was conducted with 102 working mothers representing different ethnic groups and occupational levels in different occupational fields and organisations. A theoretical relationship was established. The empirical investigation provided evidence of such a relationship and it seems that coping styles can be predicted from considering personality dimensions and sense of coherence. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / The child's becoming is influenced by the education situation as a whole. The mother-child relationship plays a crucial role to the child's becoming, hence the initial bonding between mother and child is considered all-important. All further becoming is based on the motherchild relationship. Another factor that influences becoming is the family situation, with specific reference to the father. Because the family functions in the context of a particular society, the shift of emphasis in the modem family and social factors cannot be discounted in the discription of becoming. Becoming takes place in conjunction with learning, development and maturation. These processes are differentiable but inseparable. The different domains of becoming and development, namely the affective, cognitive, normative, physical and social, form the overall context within which the child is investigated. An adequate educational environment leads tot the child's adequate becoming. At the centre of any adequate educational environment is the educator acting as mediator between child and learning content. Both the primary and the secondary educational situation should comply with the requisites for adequacy. An empirical investigation was undertaken in accordance with ideographic research methods. The status of overall becoming and development in children who had been subjected to different types of daycare was determined in relation to the education situation as a whole, which is why both the primary and the secondary educational situation were drawn into the investigation. This research has produced the finding that daycare does not necessarily harm the child's becoming. The overall educational situation must be considered at all times. Daycare has a recognisable influence on the child's becoming, but the mother-child relationship is the most decisive factor for the child's becoming. / Kinderlike wording word deur die opvoedingsituasie as totaliteit belnvloed. Die moederkindverhouding speel die allerbelangrikste rol by kinderlike wording. Daarom word die aanvanklike binding tussen moeder en kind baie hoog aangeskryf. Alie verdere wording word geskoei op die moeder-kindverhouding. Die gesinsituasie, met spesifieke verwysing na die vader, is verdere faktore wat wording belnvloed. Omdat die gesin binne 'n bepaalde samelewing funksioneer, kan die klemverskuiwing van die moderne gesin en die samelewingsfaktore nie buite rekening gelaat word by die beskrywing van wording nie. Wording vind sy neerslag in samewerking met leer, ontwikkeling en ryping. Hierdie begrippe is onderskeibaar, maar kan nooit geskei word nie. Die verskillende domeine van wording en ontwikkeling, naamlik die affektiewe, kognitiewe, normatiewe, fisieke en sosiale domeine, vorm die totaliteit waarbinne die kind beskou word. 'n Toereik:ende opvoedingsmilieu gee aanleiding tot toereikende wording by die kind. Midde 'n toereikende opvoedingsmilieu staan die opvoeder as bemiddelaar tussen die kind en die inhoud. Die primere sowel as die sekondere opvoedingsituasies behoort aan die vereistes van toereikendheid te voldoen. 'n Empiriese ondersoek is aan die hand van die ideografiese navosingsontwerp onderneem. Die wording en ontwikkeling van kinders vanuit verskillende tipes dagsorg is bepaal. Die wording en ontwikkeling van die kind in totaliteit word in aanmerking geneem. Wording word dan in verband gebring met die opvoedingsituasie in sy totaliteit. Daarom is die primere sowel as die sekondere situasies by die ondersoek betrek. Hierdie navorsing bevind dat kinderlike wording nie noodwendig negatief deur dagsorg beinvloed word nie. Die totale opvoedingsituasie van die kind moet telkens in berekening gebring word. Dagsorg oefen wel 'n invloed op kinderlike wording uit, maar die moederkindverhouding is die mees bepalende faktor by kinderlike wording. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Over the last three decades, the impact of dramatic change in the social, religious, political and economic environment has led to a rapid expansion in the number of women entering the paid labour force in Sri Lanka as elsewhere. However, their identities and workload continue to be defined around caring work, especially for children. Not surprisingly, employed mothers endeavour to balance these two central spheres of their life, family and work. This research focuses on the contradictions of mothers' work-life balance. It does so through an analysis of how successfully (or unsuccessfully) professional and managerial mothers in Sri Lanka combine motherhood with paid work, and how they understand this in terms of gendered identities and social norms. This example also allows an evaluation of western derived theories about mothers' decision making in the context of a developing, Asian country. Grounded theory was used to examine mothers' narratives about life in the family and at work, drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews, along with data from some representative secondary sources, in order to explore these questions. This thesis demonstrates that working women's mothering leads to the formation of a gendered identity which varies according to different socio-cultural and religious opportunities and constraints. Using the Bourdieu approach the research suggests how everyday life operates in terms of habitus, field and capital. However, these working mothers have low capacity to achieve a work-life balance and this may lead to complex social problems.