Barriers to maternal workforce participation and relationship between paid work and health.
Mothers of kids with disabilities feel healthier when they work, but service gaps—not lack of desire—keep many stuck at home.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Siu et al. (2011) asked mothers of children with disabilities two questions. Do you have a paid job? How healthy do you feel?
They mailed the survey to a mixed group of moms across Australia. Kids had autism, Down syndrome, or other delays.
What they found
Mothers who worked reported better mental and physical health than moms who stayed home.
The top reason non-working moms gave was lack of services. They needed respite, after-school care, and reliable therapy slots.
How this fits with other research
McCarron et al. (2002) saw the same group from the dark side. Parents of adults with multiple disabilities had spotty work lives and more depression. The new study flips the lens: when services are there, work is possible and health improves.
Goodwin et al. (2012) zoomed in on single mothers. They found deep poverty even when moms wanted jobs. Siu et al. (2011) shows why: without respite or after-school care, single moms can’t get past the first hurdle.
Lee (2013) pooled 28 studies and painted moms as chronically stressed and sleep-poor. Siu et al. (2011) gives a concrete fix—paid work—while naming the barrier that keeps that fix out of reach.
Why it matters
If you write IFSPs or IEPs, add a parent-work line. Ask, “What respite or after-school care do you need so you can keep your job?” Push for those services in the plan. When mom keeps her paycheck, you also protect her mental health, and a calmer parent speeds child progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Families of children with disabilities experience extra financial strains, and mothers are frequently unable to participate in paid work because of caregiving obligations. METHODS: A mailed survey and follow-up phone calls were used to gather data about mother's health, workforce participation and barriers to inclusion in the workplace (n = 152). Verbatim reports of issues that hindered workforce participation were analysed qualitatively to derive themes. Maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using the Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2). Norm-based conversions were used to compare HRQoL between working and non-working mothers and to compare to population norms. RESULTS: Eighty-two per cent of mothers in the sample wanted and needed to work for pay but indicated over 300 issues that prevent their work participation. Data analysis revealed 26 common issues which prevent work participation. These issues fit into three main categories: mother-related reasons (28%), child-related reasons (29%) and service limitations (43%). Mothers who worked (n = 83) reported significantly better HRQoL than mothers who did not work (n = 69) on five of the eight SF-36v2 dimensions and overall mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to other working Australians, mothers in this study had higher education yet reported poorer health, lower family income and lower workforce participation. Respondents reported that service system limitations were the main barriers to participation in the paid workforce. Investigation of service changes such as increased respite care, availability of outside hours school care, improved professional competency and family-centred services is recommended in order to improve maternal participation in paid work.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2011 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01407.x