Child's Age and Mother's Employment in Relation to Greater Use of Self-Care Arrangements for Children

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing interest in self-care (latchkey) arrangements, but virtually no research has been done on time in self-care. We investigated factors associated with the amount of time children spend in self-care. Using a magazinedistributed questionnaire, we obtained responses from 1,194 mothers who had children under age 14 in self-care to some extent. Child's age and mother's hours per week of paid employment were significantly related to greater use of self-care arrangements. Mother's frequency of attendance at religious services was related to lesser use of self-care. Mother's marital status showed a less clear relationship to self-care use.