TRANSITIONS INTO PARENTHOOD: EXAMINING THE COMPLEXITIES OF CHILDREARING

Abstract

In the US, approximately 70% of mothers and 93% of fathers with children who are under 18 years are in the paid labor force, and studies have documented that employed parents with young children often experience high levels of stress as they attempt to manage or balance the demands of their work and family roles. The current study focused on factors associated with observed variability in reports about work–family stress and considered the roles of parenting stress, child characteristics, as well as conflict with the other parent. Prior research has shown that parenting a more “difficult” child is a source of parenting stress, but such studies have not focused specifically on work–family conflict as a consequential outcome, have tended to be limited to older parents, and often have focused only on mothers. We also investigated the role of partner disagreements about assistance with parenting responsibilities as a further complication to family life that may influence perceived work–family stress among co-residential parents. Drawing on data from employed young adult parents, the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) (n=263), we found that having a child perceived as more difficult was associated with greater work–family stress. Among co-residential parents, stress but not parenting disagreements with the other parent was associated with greater work–family Transitions into Parenthood: Examining the Complexities of Childrearing Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Volume 15, 1–16 Copyright © 2020 by Emerald Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved ISSN: 1530-3535/doi:10.1108/S1530-353520190000015001 2 AMIRA L. ALLEN ET AL. stress. The findings highlight the importance of providing institutional and informal support to such parents.