Consistency between maternal employment attitudes and employment status.

The stability of mothers' attitudes toward employment, employment status, and consistency between employment attitudes and behavior over a 15-month period was examined. Factors such as family finances, availability of child care, and child's health status that could influence either employment attitudes or employment behavior were explored. Mothers of preterm infants (N = 98) and mothers of full-term, healthy infants (N = 101) completed questionnaires regarding home/employment orientation, choice and satisfaction with the employment decision, and employment behavior as part of a battery of instruments administered when their infants were 3, 9, and 18 months old. Analyses indicated considerable stability in attitudes, behaviors, and consistency over a 15-month period for mothers of both full-term and preterm infants. Consistency groups were created based on employment status (employed versus not employed) and consistency status (consistent versus inconsistent) at each time point. Consistency groups differed on ratings of financial need and availability of child care.