Effects of occupational prestige,employment status,and marital status on perceptions of mothers

Perceptions of mothers were investigated as a function of their marital status, employment status and prestige of their jobs. College students (128 females and 96 males) evaluated a briefly described adult female stimulus person on 24 7-point bipolar scales that described job performance characteristics and personality traits. Each subject rated one of 16 mothers of a young child. The mother was portrayed as either divorced or married and as either currently employed or formerly employed (by choice) in an occupation of either moderate or low prestige. Employed mothers were perceived as more competent in their jobs but as less well-adjusted than nonemployed mothers. Mothers with moderate-prestige occupations were viewed as more competent than those in low-prestige occupations, especially if they were currently employed. Married mothers were seen as better adjusted than divorced mothers.Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois, May 1989.