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Making Work Fit Care: Reconciliation Strategies Used by Working Mothers of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Author(s) -
Chou YuehChing,
Fu Liyeh,
Chang HengHao
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12005
Subject(s) - work (physics) , intellectual disability , welfare , psychology , interpretative phenomenological analysis , care work , paid work , personal care , developmental psychology , social psychology , sociology , medicine , qualitative research , psychiatry , political science , family medicine , mechanical engineering , social science , law , engineering
Background This study explored the experiences of working mothers with an adult child with intellectual disabilities to understand how they reconcile paid work and care responsibilities. Methods Fifteen working mothers in T aiwan with an adult child with intellectual disabilities were interviewed, and an interpretative phenomenological approach was adopted for data collection and analysis. Results All included mothers prioritized their caregiving role over paid work. The strategies used by these mothers to make paid work fit with caregiving included having strong social networks and informal support for their care work, use of formal services, personal religious beliefs and positive attitudes towards care, as well as having flexible working hours due to self‐employment, good relations with employers, working positions and work locations. Conclusions Formal systems, which include both welfare and labour policies, need to be responsive to and involved in supporting these working mothers, especially those who lack good personal networks.