TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of mothers' employment on toddlers' cognitive development
T2 - A study conducted in Karachi, Pakistan
AU - Meherali, Salima Moez
AU - Karmaliani, Rozina
AU - Asad, Nargis
N1 - Funding Information:
Salima Moez Meherali works in the nursing faculty at the School of Nursing, The Aga Khan University. Her area of interest is early childhood development and critical care nursing. Her master’s thesis was a descriptive comparative study to compare the cognitive development of toddlers of working and non-working mothers. She has also done researches in the area of critical care nursing and teaching learning in the field of nursing. At present she is involved in a research study titled: ‘Socio-cultural influences on newborn health and survival in the first 6 weeks of life: A socio-ecological and feminist perspective’, funded by Aga Khan University Research Council.
PY - 2011/8
Y1 - 2011/8
N2 - Over the past several decades in Pakistan, an increasing number of women with young children are joining the workforce, which is one of the biggest social changes in the later half of the twentieth century. More children are being raised in households where mothers work for pay as compared with the scenario a generation ago. This change has prompted concerns about whether maternal employment poses any risks to children's cognitive development. The purpose of this descriptive comparative study was to compare the cognitive development of toddlers, aged 24-36 months, of working and non-working mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. The Bayley Mental Scale was used as the primary outcome measure. Data were analysed using non-parametric statistics. There was no association between maternal employment status and toddlers' cognitive development. Differences were found in cognitive development by demographic characteristics, which suggested that selected children were more vulnerable, irrespective of their mothers' employment status.
AB - Over the past several decades in Pakistan, an increasing number of women with young children are joining the workforce, which is one of the biggest social changes in the later half of the twentieth century. More children are being raised in households where mothers work for pay as compared with the scenario a generation ago. This change has prompted concerns about whether maternal employment poses any risks to children's cognitive development. The purpose of this descriptive comparative study was to compare the cognitive development of toddlers, aged 24-36 months, of working and non-working mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. The Bayley Mental Scale was used as the primary outcome measure. Data were analysed using non-parametric statistics. There was no association between maternal employment status and toddlers' cognitive development. Differences were found in cognitive development by demographic characteristics, which suggested that selected children were more vulnerable, irrespective of their mothers' employment status.
KW - Cognitive development of toddlers
KW - Effects of employment
KW - Employment status of mothers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960314223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03004430.2010.500059
DO - 10.1080/03004430.2010.500059
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79960314223
SN - 0300-4430
VL - 181
SP - 877
EP - 890
JO - Early Child Development and Care
JF - Early Child Development and Care
IS - 7
ER -