Child Care and Working Mothers in Puerto Rican Families

This article focuses on child care arrangements, mothering attitudes, and family support systems as they affect the labor force participation of urban Puerto Rican mothers. In general, for women in the United States, paid work outside the home has become a normal part of life and, for most women, a necessary aspect of existence. Puerto Rican women, particularly those in the New York City area, however, have declining, not rising, rates of labor force participation. Our study looked to child care factors for a partial explanation for this work pattern. The study method used in-depth interviews with a sample of 40 Puerto Rican mothers stratified by occupational status. All these mothers have worked outside the home, but not all are currently working. Cultural values toward family care were strongly expressed by the mothers and were found to significantly affect work patterns, particularly for women with erratic work histories. The social policy implications of this study relate to the need to recognize and act on the connection between participation in the labor market and cultural attitudes toward child care for a significant low-income urban minority population.