INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS      

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A mother is particularly important not because she has special skills but because she is with her children for a much greater time than any other person and her instructions reflect a very strong influence on attitudes, abilities and behaviour of children. Most of those children who are successful and well-adjusted come from homes where parental attitudes are favorable and a wholesome relationship existed between children and parents (Priyanka& Jain, 2010). Mothers give her children love, affection and care from birth.

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed an unprecedented entry of women with children into the labor market (Lee, 2007). This phenomenon led social critics and politicians to voice concerns about the potential negative consequences that this change may have on children. Academics have also sought to tackle this issue. Overall, research demonstrates that maternal career has a detrimental effect on children’s cognitive development when it occurs during children’s first six years of life (Baum 2003; Baydar& Brooks-Gunn 2011). The effects of later maternal employment are less conclusive, but negative effects have been found for children’s cognitive outcomes (Ruhm, 2008) and educational attainment (Baum, 2003).

Underlying this debate are the assumptions that (1) maternal career reduces the amount of time children spend with their parents, and (2) time spent together positively influences child development. Scholars, ranging from sociologists (Coleman, 2008) to psychologists (Belsky, 2011) to economists (Ruhm, 2004), have postulated that parental time represents a main causal mechanism linking maternal employment to child outcomes. These sentiments were echoed by Steiner (2007) and Belkin (2003) in books that give voice to the anxieties that still plague many working women about decisions to work outside the home as well as the potential consequences these decisions may have for their children.

Although studies show that working women spend less total time with children than their nonworking counterparts (Bianchi, 2006; Fox, Sawyer & Bullock, 2013), it is not clear if these differences translate into worse child outcomes for several reasons. First, parents can mitigate the potential deleterious effects of maternal career by trading quantity of time for higher “quality” of time (Brand, 2009). Second, not all types of shared time together necessarily yield better childoutcomes (Wee, 2011). Even if maternal work reduces time in the most favorable types of activities, its overall effect may be negligible if it also reduces time in activities that are the least favorable for children. Finally, fathers may partially offset the loss of maternal time by increasing their involvement (Wee, 2011).

An important finding highlighted by previous studies is that, although maternal career reduces the amount of time parents dedicate to their children, parents have also responded in important ways to prevent work from interfering with childcare (Bryant and Zick, 2016; Gershunyand Robinson, 2008). For example, working mothers compensate for their labor market activities by sacrificing aspects of their personal and domestic life—such as sleep, leisure, and housekeeping—so that they can spend time with their children (Bianchi, 2006). Another important way that career women can mitigate the potential deleterious effects of maternal career on children is by protecting time that involves direct engagement with children and sacrificing time that only peripherally involves children.

A career-oriented woman who chooses to work may spend less total time with her child but, at the same time, may reallocate her schedule to devote more time to activities that can foster child development and less time to types of activities that may be less effective at fostering child development. Crawley and Liu (2007) found that working mothers spend less total time and educational time with their children than nonworking mothers.

It is an uneasy decision for a mother to select between chasing her career and staying home with the children. In the suggestions of Bale (2013), a mother should ask herself about the main purpose of her working; she should compare her earning with the needs of children and home; she should know the financial position of her family.  Bale also suggested that a career mother has to decide whether she works for the support of family or she is just fond of working. She might have acquired specialized certificated in particular field and  does not want to waste her talent. If such is the case, she should find a suitable job that saves time and energy and provides the required financial assistance (Bale, 2013).

Shalala (2010) remarked that the situation of women in the current era is very difficult because of their multidimensional responsibilities.Some women use all their efforts to build their careers but others wait until their children become school ages. Some women have their own choice of employment while others are forced to work. Shalala however admonished that whether a mother is working or staying home does not matter if she pays enough attention to the children, spends quality time with them, shows genuine love for the, and builda true relationship with them.

It has been proven through experiments and researches that a major part of children’s cognitive, affective and psychomotor growth takes place at an early age below three years (Mendez, 2005; Allan, 2013). If children are not properly nurtured and guided in this stage of their lives, it could have a detrimental effect on their academic outcomes as they go through primary school. As Babatope (2010) puts it, primary school age is an age when most pupils are not mature enough to fully understand why they are in school and the reason for the responsibilities expected of them. It is therefore necessary for mothers to be around during these crucial years and fully take up their duties as the first teachers.

Statement of the Problem

The role of women in society has increased widely in diversity. Most notably, more women are now in the workforce. In fact, women now shoulder the responsibility of breadwinning in many homes (Shalala, 2010). However, it needs to be asked if career women can successfully and effectively spread their time between the rigours of career pursuit and the responsibility of child upbringing towards academic readiness and success. Mothers are regarded as the first teachers, but if their careers dominate their agendas, it could be to the ultimate detriment of the child.It is with regard to this that this study surveys the influence of maternal employment on the academic achievement of primary school pupils.

 Purposes of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to study is to examine the influence the influence of maternal employment on the academic performance of primary school pupils. Specifically, this study aims to:

1. find out the impact of maternal employment  on the academic performance of primary school pupils
2. determine the impact of maternal employment on the academic readiness of primary school pupils
3. examine the impact of maternal employment on pupil’s primary school completion
4. To make policy recommendations for the society on the basis of empirical findings of the study

Research Question

The following research questions would be answered in the course of this study:

1. How does maternal employment influence the academic performance of primary school pupils?
2. What is the impact of maternal employment on the academic readiness of primary school pupils?
3. What is the impact of maternal employment on pupil’s primary school completion?

• Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses would be tested in the course of this study:

1. H₀ – There will be no significant influence ofmaternal employmenton the academic performance of primary school pupils.
2. H₀ – There will be no significant impact ofmaternal employmenton the academic readiness of primary school pupils.
3. H₀ – There will be no significant impact ofmaternal employmenton the primary school completion of pupils.

• Significance of the study

This study would be a valuable source of literature on the ways in which maternal employment affect the academic success of their primary school pupils. This study could also guide schools on the steps they need to take to mitigate to mitigate the effects of busy mothers’ lack of time on their children.

Also, this study would make suggestions on how career mothers can make out more time for their children out of their busy schedules, and enhance their academic performance.

• Scope/Delimitation of the Study

The scope of this study covers the influence ofmaternal employment on the academic performance of primary school pupils. It is delimited to primary school teachers n Education District (IV) and the descriptive survey research method.

• Operational Definition of Terms

Career Mother: A career mother is a motherwho is interested in working on her job, rather than staying at home looking after the house and children.

Academic Performance: This refers to how students fare in their studies as compared to others the same class.

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