In the first chapter, we presented a broad review of the literature on the effects of maternal employment on families and children. From this we drew several conclusions. First, the link between maternal employment and child outcomes is a distal one. To understand its effects on children, we need to investigate the steps in between. We need to know how maternal employment affects family interaction and the attitudes of the parents and children. We need to understand the process by which effects take place. Further, we concluded that there were three major paths to explore: (1) the role of the father; (2) the mother's sense of well-being; and (3) the patterns of parenting in the family.

To examine these issues, a research project was launched. The sample covered a broad socioeconomic range of families living in an industrialized city in the Midwest. The focus of the investigation was a child in the third or fourth grade of the public schools. The sample size was modest but an extensive volume of data was collected from parents, children, teachers, peers, and school records. The results of this investigation have been reported in the preceding chapters.

Throughout the book, our aim has been to understand how the employment status of the mother, whether she is employed or a full-time homemaker, affects the family and children.