The working mother in contemporary perspective: a review of the literature.

The purpose of this article is to provide a perspective on the dilemmas working mothers face due to the contradictory messages that emanate from both popular child-rearing books and clinical studies. A review of the working mothers' sections of popular child-rearing books, and an interdisciplinary review of research in the area of maternal employment over the last decade was conducted in order to assess current knowledge in the field. Both popular child-rearing books and books for the working mother tend to reflect the cultural norms of appropriate maternal behavior, but rarely include evidence from empirical research. Findings from a review of literature in medicine, psychology, sociology, and education are discussed in relation to effects of maternal employment on children and families. An understanding of recent research regarding maternal employment will enable the pediatrician to better respond to the needs of the working mothers and their families.