The purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal employment contributed to the general inadequacy of the adolescent's evening meal, and to examine the attitudes of adolescents regarding the mother's role in evening meal preparation. A questionnaire was administered to 1180 high school students in a suburban area of Dallas-Ft.Worth in May, 1987. The hypotheses were tested using Chi square, Pearson product moment correlation, and Anova. Results indicated that maternal employment affects adolescent evening meals in the number of meals offered per week, fully prepared by mother, and eaten away from home. The amount of adolescent participation in meal preparation was higher for the employed group. Attitudes are different between the sexes and those with employed and unemployed mothers.

När en kvinna får sitt första barn skapar hon en ny identitet som mamma. Hon ställs inför nya situationer vilket skapar en osäkerhet. Tidigare sociala sammanhang som till exempel arbete eller studier sätts på paus och även vänskapsrelationer kan genomgå en förändring. Känslor av ensamhet och oro leder till att individen söker sig till andra som har liknande upplevelser. Många kvinnor finner stöd i grupper som anordnas på Familjecentralen. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att förstå kvinnors upplevelser kring sitt identitetsskapande under första tiden som förälder samt vilken betydelse sociala relationer med andra nyblivna föräldrar har för att öka trygghet och skapa mindre ensamhet i föräldrarollen. Studien har använt socialpsykologiska teorier kring exempelvis självet, kategorisering och social jämförelse för att tolka och förstå respondenternas upplevelser. I studien utfördes 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer med förstagångsmödrar om deras upplevelser kring att bli mamma. Studiens resultat visar hur mammaidentiteten växer fram och hur kvinnans tro på sin egen förmåga är kopplat till barnets välmående. Barnet blir en del av kvinnans självbild. I föräldragruppen upplever kvinnorna en gemenskap med andra i samma situation. Råd, stöd, tankar och upplevelser delas i ett öppet klimat vilket tillsammans med möjlighet att rådfråga personal leder till ökad trygghet och minskad känsla av ensamhet. / When a woman has her first child, she creates a new identity as a mother. She is faced with new situations, which creates uncertainty. Previous social contexts such as work or studies are put on hold and even friendships can undergo a change. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety lead the individual to seek out others who have similar experiences. Many women find support in groups organized at the Family Centre. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand womens´ experiences regarding their identity creation during the first time as a parent, as well as the importance of social relationships with other new parents to increase security and create less loneliness in the parental role. The study has used social psychological theories regarding, for example, the self, categorization and social comparison to interpret and understand the respondents' experiences. In the study, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with first-time mothers regarding their experiences of becoming a mother. The study's results show how the mother's identity develops and how the woman's belief in her own abilities is linked to the child's well-being. The child becomes part of the woman's self-image. In the parent group, the women experience a community with others in the same situation. Advice, support, thoughts and experiences are shared in an open climate, which together with the opportunity to consult staff leads to increased security and a reduced feeling of loneliness.