PROVIDENCE, R.I., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. mothers of young children have experienced a significant decline in the availability of other women in the household in the last 120 years.
Susan E. Short, a sociologist at Brown University, and colleagues analyzed U.S. census data from 1880 to 2000 for patterns of co-residence for mothers with children 5 years old or younger.
They focused on the household presence of females who traditionally helped mothers with child care, such as the women's mothers and mothers-in-law, other female relatives and non-relatives and older daughters.
"This work adds to current discussion of work-family balance issues -- and the 'burden' young mothers experience while trying to balance time demands -- by looking beyond the young mothers' own time-demands and the contributions made by fathers," Short explained.
The findings, published in Demography, show that at the end of the 20th century about 20 percent of mothers with young children lived with another female who might help with housework and child care, compared to nearly 50 percent in the late 19th century.
