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

本论文采用实验的方法来研究社会阶层如何塑造母亲的经历。这篇论文评估了雇主是否--如果是的话，为什么--在劳动力市场上歧视低技能和高技能的母亲。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--审计研究。然后，论文调查了为什么雇主可能会歧视母亲，实验性地操纵母亲的地位和应聘者质量的指标。了解低技能和高技能工作中的歧视，有助于我们理解母亲身份何时以及如何使妇女处于不利地位。调查结果有助于理解就业过程的这一阶段的歧视问题，并提出解决歧视问题的调查方向。此外，这项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，论文考察了不同社会阶层对好父母教育的看法有何不同，以及父母是否要求母亲比父亲有更高的养育标准。进行了一项调查实验，受访者对亲子互动的描述进行评估，父母的性别被实验操纵。通过考察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促进家庭参与儿童教育的努力，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在为不同资源的母亲制造明显的劣势方面所起的作用。

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.