Relation Between Work and Family. A Comparison Between Lone Mothers and Fathers
Author: Correia, Sónia V, soniavladimira@yahoo.com
Department: Sociology
University: Institute of Social Sciences- University of Lisbon, Portugal
Supervisor: Karin Wall
Year of completion: 2014
Language of dissertation: Portuguese
Keywords:
Single Parenthood
, Work and Family
, gender
, Life course
Areas of Research:
Family Research
, Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy
, Work
Abstract
This is a qualitative study about reconciling demands between work and family. The
target population is lone parent families, both female and male. The goals of this study
are: to identify family-work conciliation patterns and understand how gender can shape
the latter’s composition, logics and diversity.
In this research, the family-work conciliation study draws on the confluence
between 2 approaches confluence in sociology: the family sociology approach and the
gender approach. The articulation of these two theoretical matrixes tried to take into
account, as main analysis perspectives, the gender perspective, the life-course
perspective, the perspective of caring and support networks and a socio-structural
perspective.
Building an analytical model based on different theoretical frameworks allowed
identifying five lone mothers´ and five lone fathers’ reconciliation profiles. In lone
mothers´ families the profiles are: Mother centred; Multiple delegation; Grandparents support; Back to parents’ home;Without reconciliation.
In this investigation, the profiles of work-family reconciliation reveal the "slow
movement" of change of Portuguese society. While findings show the gradual
abandonment of traditional gender roles, they also point to old and new assignments in
work-family relationship. The profiles of work-family reconciliation are influenced by
gender, by life trajectories, by support networks and by the economic and social
conditions of families.
