5
Contents
Acknowledgements
13
Introduction
17
Outline of the thesis
23
Chapter 1
Socio-structural developments in the Netherlands 1945-2012
in relation to female employment patterns
27
1.1
Introduction 27
1.2
1945-1960 Breadwinners and housewives
29
1.3
1970-1980 Structural and cultural revolutions
30
1.4
1990-2010 A new consensus: the modified bread-winner model 34
1.5
Conclusion 37
Chapter 2
Theoretical framework and hypotheses
39
2.1
Introduction 39
2.2
Macro structural
explanations
39
2.3
Cultural explanations
40
2.4
Explanations at branch and company level
41
2.5
Micro-economic explanations
41
2.6
Work preferences and employment behaviour
43
2.7
The influence of values and attitudes on preferences and
behaviour 47
Attitudes towards behaviour
47
Subjective and descriptive norms
48
Perceived behavioural control
49
Behavioural, normative and control beliefs
49
Sociological views on the impact of values and attitudes on
employment patterns
51
Opponents of the theory of planned behaviour and preference
theory
54
The problem of causality
54
Constraints or preferences?
56
6
2.8
The social origins of values and attitudes
58
Socialization theory
59
Externalization, objectivation and internalization
60
Reification
60
Stratification theory
61
The reciprocal character of socialization
62
Primary socialization
63
Theory of social learning
64
Gender socialization
67
2.9
Secondary socialization
69
No need for emotional identification
69
The issue of consistency
70
Teachers
72
Partner
73
Peers
73
Supervisors and colleagues
74
Chapter 3
A qualitative typology of Dutch mothers’ employment
narratives
77
3.1
Introduction 77
3.2
Brief historical overview of Dutch female employment patterns 77
3.3
Studies of factors of mothers’ labour participation
79
3.4
Women’s employment preferences: a matter of choice?
80
3.5
Research method
82
Research group
84
Interview questions
84
Interview analysis
86
3.6
Findings 86
Drifters
86
Privilegeds
90
Balancers
92
Ambitious
96
3.7
Conclusions and discussion
99
Chapter 4
The vital and stabilising role of work preferences
within Dutch mothers’ labour market decisions
103
4.1
Introduction 103
4.2
Preferred number of work hours: cause or effect?
105
4.3
The impact of attitudes on preferences
107
4.4
Parental characteristics during childhood and its impact on
mothers’ preferences and attitudes
110
7
4.5
Research method
112
Analysis
113
Dependent variables
113
Independent variables: attitudinal factors
115
Independent variables: socialization factors
117
Independent variables: demographic and situational factors
118
4.6
Results 119
Participation decision
119
Number of hours worked
120
4.7
Conclusion and discussion
125
Chapter 5
The social origins of Dutch mothers’ gender values and
ideal family life
129
5.1
Introduction 129
5.2
Macro background: the specific case of the Netherlands
130
5.3
Theoretical framework
131
5.4
General values and
personal ideals
132
5.5
Socialization theory
133
5.6
Secondary socialization: perceived professional and career
support of significant others
135
Hypotheses
137
5.7
Research method
137
Regression and path analyses
138
General gender values
138
A mother’s ideal family life
139
Independent variables
140
Parental values
140
Work attitude of respondents’ mothers
141
Control variables
142
5.8
Results 145
5.9
Conclusions 152
Chapter 6
Intermezzo: the full model
155
6.1
Introduction 155
6.2
Mothers’ labour participation
155
6.3
Number of work hours
157
6.4
Work preference
158
6.5
Ideal family life
159
6.6
General gender values
159
6.7
Mothers who work in order
to become economically
independent 160
6.8
Mothers who like to work
160
6.9
Conclusions 162
