Why and how working women choose child care: A review with a focus on infancy

Over half of mothers of infants in the United States are employed outside the home at least part-time, and most of these women must arrange for infant child care. Although many researchers have explored the effects of child care on children's development, less is known about why and how working mothers choose infant child care. Research in this area is greatly needed because high-quality, affordable infant care is not widely available in the United States at present. Thus, parents must carefully search for and select their child care arrangements-a task made more difficult for some parents because of limited economic resources and low availability of high-quality care arrangements in their area. A growing body of research has examined influences on mothers' child care choice behaviors. We review this research within the context of a theoretical model that relates such behaviors to the environmental context (e.g., child care availability), maternal beliefs related to child care (e.g., child care preferences), child factors (e.g., temperament), and demographic characteristics of the mother. We conclude with recommendations for future research in this area and a discussion of public policy considerations. (C) 1999 Academic Press.