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Supermoms—Tired, admired, or inspired? Decoding the impact of supermom beliefs: A study on Indian employed mothers

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  • Shalaka Sharad Shah
  • Smita Chaudhry
  • Shilpa Shinde

Abstract

Some days she is a supermom, some days just a mom, but most days a bit of both, and every day she strives to keep her oath! The study aims to unravel the perceptions and beliefs about ‘being a supermom’ and to explore its relationships with work-related factors. Our study aims to unravel the perceptions and beliefs of 306 Indian-employed mothers about ‘being a supermom’ and its relationship with work-related factors like self-efficacy, work engagement, and psychological well-being. Standardized scales were used for quantitative study and qualitative questions were used to understand the beliefs about the supermom notion. Frequency analysis for the perception of the supermom notion showed that 52% of mothers consider it detrimental to achieving success, while 48% consider it to be beneficial. A path analysis revealed that if the supermom notion is perceived as beneficial, it increases employed mothers’ self-efficacy; self-efficacy promotes work engagement, and work engagement increases psychological well-being. SEM confirmed that self-efficacy increases psychological well-being directly as well as through work engagement indicating partial mediation of work engagement. Findings suggest that while the supermom ideal can be exhausting and is often viewed as a myth or trap that negatively impacts psychological well-being, it can also serve as a source of inspiration and contribute positively to psychological well-being for some mothers.

Suggested Citation

  • Shalaka Sharad Shah & Smita Chaudhry & Shilpa Shinde, 2025. "Supermoms—Tired, admired, or inspired? Decoding the impact of supermom beliefs: A study on Indian employed mothers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0321665
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321665
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eva M. Berger, 2009. "Maternal Employment and Happiness: The Effect of Non-Participation and Part-Time Employment on Mothers' Life Satisfaction," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 890, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    2. Piritta Sorsa & Jan Mares & Mathilde Didier & Caio Guimaraes & Marie Rabate & Gen Tang & Annamaria Tuske, 2015. "Determinants of the Low Female Labour Force Participation in India," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1207, OECD Publishing.
    3. Stephan Klasen & Janneke Pieters, 2015. "What Explains the Stagnation of Female Labor Force Participation in Urban India?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 29(3), pages 449-478.
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    1. Shalaka Sharad Shah & Poonam Gandhi & Shilpa Shinde & Smita Chaudhry, 2025. "Unmasking the notion of ‘Supermom’ in India: success and strain amongst earning mothers," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.

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