Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Effects of Class and Motherhood in Families and the Labor Market

本论文采用实验研究的方法，探讨社会阶层如何塑造母亲的经验。论文评估是否-如果是的话，为什么-雇主歧视低技能和高技能的母亲在劳动力市场。调查人员通过研究低技能和高技能的职位空缺，进行了一项大规模的实地实验，即审计研究。然后，论文探讨了为什么雇主可能会歧视母亲，实验操纵母性的地位和申请人的质量指标。了解低技能和高技能工作中的歧视，有助于我们了解母亲身份何时以及如何使妇女处于不利地位。调查结果可以帮助理解，并提出调查方向，以解决就业过程中的这一阶段的歧视问题。此外，该研究还评估了低技能母亲在找工作时是否面临重大障碍。接下来，论文探讨了如何不同的社会阶层的想法，良好的养育子女，以及父母是否认为母亲比父亲更高的养育标准。一项调查实验中，受访者评估描述的亲子互动，与父母的性别被实验操纵。通过研究父母如何评价不同的育儿方法，本研究可以加强利益相关者的努力，促进家庭参与儿童教育，并有助于设计更有效的育儿干预措施。本论文旨在阐明社会阶层的作用，在生产不同的不利条件，为母亲与不同的资源。

This dissertation uses experimental methods to investigate how social class shapes the experience of motherhood. The dissertation assesses whether - and if so, why - employers discriminate against low- and high-skilled mothers in the labor market. The investigators perform a large-scale field experiment, an audit study, by studying low- and high-skilled job openings. The dissertation then investigates why employers might discriminate against mothers, experimentally manipulating motherhood status and indicators of applicant quality. Obtaining an understanding of discrimination in low- and high-skilled jobs advances our understanding of when and how motherhood disadvantages women. Findings can aid understanding of and suggest directions of inquiry to address discrimination at this stage of the employment process. Additionally, the study evaluates whether low-skilled mothers face significant barriers in finding jobs. Next, the dissertation examines how ideas about good parenting differ by social class, and whether parents hold mothers to higher parenting standards than fathers. A survey experiment is performed in which respondents evaluate descriptions of parent-child interactions, with the gender of the parent presented being experimentally manipulated. By examining how parents evaluate different childrearing approaches, this research can strengthen stakeholders' efforts to promote family involvement in children's education, and help to design more effective parenting interventions. The dissertation aims to illuminate the role of social class in producing distinct disadvantages for mothers with different resources.