Working Mothers (Child Benefit Study 1975)

The occupational situation of working mothers in the Federal Republic
and resulting problems with child care. Attitude to the child benefit.

Topics: 1. Occupation and raising children: number of children; age
and sex of children; hours worked each week and type of arrangement of
working hours; personal employment and that of husband; work
satisfaction; status in profession; extent of decision-making
authority; age of youngest child at start of work; further desire for
children and desired continuation of employment; assessment of personal
prospects of promotion; work orientation (scale); reasons for
employment; attitude to housewives work versus employment; attitude of
husband to personal employment; income conditions and financial load;
commuting time to work; training and course of occupation; orientation
aids for one´s own style of upbringing; reading parents magazines;
information on division of tasks in household and in raising children;
knowledge and participation in measures of parent education; (if
participating: topics addressed and judgement on the events;
difficulties in participation and recommended topics).

2. Child care: preferred care facility for children up to three years;
arrangement found for daycare of children; frequency of change of care
institutions; daily length of care and means of transport used to place
of care; care costs; difficulties arising from absence of mother due to
occupation. General classification of satisfaction with accomodation of
child (scale).

If placed with a foster mother: contact with foster mother: number of
children with foster mother; general classification of satisfaction
with accomodation of child (scale).

If placed in a day-nursery: agreement of opening times of day-nursery
with working hours; age differences in the group; frequency of change
of personnel or the reference person of the child in day-nursery;
judgement on spatial accomodation and furnishing with toys; type of
opportunities to participate in advice and decisions in the nursery;
contacts with nursery personnel; preference for place of care or
nursery.

3. Child benefit: degree of familiarity with the child benefit;
interest in taking advantage of and desired minimum amount of child
benefit; desired duration of interruption of employment given adequate
child benefit; problems concerning industrial law from interruption of
employment and taking advantage of child benefit; reasons for foregoing
taking advantage of child benefit; attitude to a coupling of child
benefit to participation in parents education events as well as tie to
an income limit; most important measures to improve care situation in
general; (with single mothers: knowledge about welfare entitlement and
personal use of this possibility).

Demography: age (classified); marital status; school education;
employment; income; household size; household composition; city size;
state.