Indirect Socialization of Children: The Effects of Mothers' Jobs on Academic Behaviors

Abstract

PIOTRKOWSKI, CHAYA S., and KATZ, MITCHELL H. Indirect Socialization of Children: The Effects of Mothers' Jobs on Academic Behaviors. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 1520-1529. This study investigates indirect socialization effects of parents' occupational conditions on children's school behaviors. Following a model developed by Kohn, we proposed that parents encourage in their children those behaviors they view as adaptive in their own occupational settings. Propositions linking 3 job characteristics-job autonomy, job demands, and skill utilization-to children's school attendance, effort, and achievement were developed. Autonomy was proposed to be negatively associated with attendance, demands positively associated with effort, and skill utilization positively associated with achievement. These hypothesized relationships were tested in a sample of 60 employed, predominantly black, lower SES women and their adolescent and preadolescent children who were enrolled in an academic summer program. Results supported 2 of the 3 hypotheses of the study. As predicted, mothers' job autonomy and skill utilization at work were significantly associated with academic behaviors in the predicted directions. The pattern of findings indicates that relatively specific relationships may exist between the employment conditions of parents and aspects of children's school behavior.