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Socialized Choices - Labour Market Behaviour of Dutch Mothers 
160 
of a partner towards a mother’s career is related to more egalitarian gender values 
(beta .191).  The same applies to stimulating people at work (colleagues and 
bosses) (beta .313).  
6.7 
Mothers who work in order to become economically 
independent  
Within the full model I can also examine which control and socializing factors 
correspond with a mother’s adherence to economic independence. Parental 
messages have a profound relationship. This counts most, and for all, for the 
transmitted message that one should work in order to become economically 
independent (beta .520). The parental message “caring for others is important” 
has the opposite effect - if a mother mainly received this message when young, 
her own adherence to economic independence is smaller (beta -.120). Cohabiting 
mothers are less attached to economic independence compared to single mothers. 
The labour market participation of her own mother during childhood also exerts a 
positive influence on a mother’s adherence to economic independence.  
6.8 
Mothers who like to work 
Of the sample, 38 per cent of the mothers agreed with this proposition, when 
choosing choose three out of eleven possible values. Remarkably, only 5 percent 
of the mothers claimed that their parents had transmitted this value. This change 
in attitude towards work between parents and their daughters shows that certain 
work attitudes gain importance over time, while others lose meaning. For 
example, the value “a good education is important” is less important for current 
mothers than for their parents (as perceived by their daughters). This might 
indicate that nowadays the notion of a good education is trivial, and that others 
values have become more important. The presence of a partner and the career 
support of her partner are positively related to this work value. Mother’s job 
satisfaction therefore appears to be considerably associated with the presence and 
support of partner. It is possible that the financial necessity of work for single 
mothers might lower their pleasure at work. Mothers who have received the 
parental message that work is above all fun, enjoy their work significantly more 
than mothers who did not receive this message (beta .461). 
 
 

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Chapter 6 - Intermezzo: the full model 
161 
Table 21. Standardized total effects of the structural path analysis of seven dependent 
variables.  
 
Dependent variables 
 Work 
Work 
Hours 
Work 
preference 
Ideal family 
life 
1. 
Education .111 
.235 
.163 
.181 
2. 
Number of children 
-.068 
-.076 
-.100 
 
3. 
Partner present 
-.055 
-.062 
-.081 
-.325 
4. 
Income partner 
 
-.565 
 
 
5. 
No income 
 
-.775 
 
 
6. 
Age 1.683 
.958 
2.479 
1.375 
7. 
Age squared / 100 
-1.739 
-.994 
-2.562 
-1.319 
8. 
Religiousness -.025 
-.078 
-.036 
-.064 
9. 
Work preference 
.679 
.765 
 
 
10.  Ideal family life 
.157 
.177 
.232 
 
11.  Gender values 
.147 
.166 
.217 
.381 
12.  I like to work 
.091 
.103 
.135 
 
13.  Adherence to economic 
independence 
.094 .105 
.138 
 
14.  Respondent’s mother had  paid work 
.178 
.201 
.262 
.147 
15.  Respondent’s mothers’ educational 
level 
.015 .017 
.022 
.039 
16.  Work oriented  mother 
.023 
.026 
.034 
 
17.  Message parents: Work is above all 
fun 
.042 .048 
.062 
 
18.  Message parents: Caring for others 
is important  
-.033 -.038 
-.049 
-.141 
19.  Message parents:  You should work 
for economic independence  
.049 .055 
.072 
 
20.  Motivated by teacher 
.029 
.032 
.042 
.182 
21.  Motivated by partner 
.037 
.042 
.055 
.073 
22.  Motivated by supervisors and 
colleagues 
.080 .090 
.118 
.336 
Source: Amos analysis of merged data from questionnaires: ‘Politics and Values’, ‘Work and 
Schooling’, ‘Women and their social environment’, Liss Panel, Centerdata, University of Tilburg, 
November 2010. 
 
 

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Socialized Choices - Labour Market Behaviour of Dutch Mothers 
162 
Table 21 (continued). Standardized total effects of the structural path analysis of 
seven dependent variables.  
 General 
gender 
values 
Economic 
independe
nce 
I like to  
work 
1. 
Education .230 
 
 
2. 
Number of children 
 
 
 
3. 
Partner present 
 
-.203 
.167 
4. 
Income partner 
 
 
 
5. 
No income 
 
 
 
6. 
Age 1.360 
 
.948 
7. 
Age squared / 100 
-1.298 
 
-.961 
8. 
Religiousness -.167 
 
 
9. 
Work preference 
 
 
 
10.  Ideal family life 
 
 
 
11.  Gender values 
 
 
 
12.  I like to work 
 
 
 
13.  Adherence to economic independence 
 
 
 
14.  Respondent’s mother had paid work 
 
.110 
 
15.  Respondent’s mothers’ educational level 
.103 
 
 
16.  Message parents, work is fun 
 
 
.461 
17.  Work-oriented mother 
 
 
 
18.  Message parents, caring for others is important  
 
-.120 
 
19.  Message parents, work for economic independence  
 
.520 
 
20.  Motivated by teacher 
 
 
 
21.  Motivated by partner 
.191 
 
.099 
22.  Motivated by supervisors and colleagues 
.313 
 
 
Source: Amos analysis of merged data from questionnaires: ‘Politics and Values’, ‘Work and 
Schooling’, ‘Women and their social environment’, Liss Panel, Centerdata, University of Tilburg, 
November 2010. 
6.9 Conclusions 
Table 21 shows the standardized total effects, which indicate how the attitudinal 
and socializing factors indirectly correlate with the labour market decisions of 
Dutch mothers, mediated by the variable work preference. The values and 
attitudes underlying work preferences seem to originate at least partly in 
childhood, and are significantly related to mother’s perceived support of 
significant others later in life. The results involve that a mother’s work 
preference, gender values and her gender and work attitudes seem to exhibit some 
stability over the course of her life. The correlation of a mother’s work 
preferences with various attitudinal factors originating in childhood, also sheds 
light on the explaination of why societies’ policies and laws work out differently 
for each mother. The perception of what is expected by others significantly 
differs among mothers, as does their evaluation and appraisal of what is desired 
and possible within circumstantial needs. In summary, the results underline that a 
mother’s work preference represents what she likes, what she conceives as 
possible, and what she perceives as being expected of her to do by others, and can 
act as a predictor of her labour market behaviour. 

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