Others\u27 perceptions of mothers who use different childcare arrangements

Past research has indicated that employed mothers are seen as less communal, more agentic, and more negatively than nonemployed mothers. The purpose of these two experiments was to determine if this effect is modified by the form of childcare that the mother uses. The first experiment employed a free-response method to generate the stereotypes of mothers who use mothercare, grandmother care, family daycare care, and daycare center care. Mothercare mothers\u27 stereotype was more communal and less agentic than those of the other three forms of care. The second experiment employed the fixed-response, trait-rating method used in previous research. Results replicated Experiment One and included some differentiation between mothers using the three forms of care. Mothercare mothers were seen as the best adjusted of all the mothers, and sex of participant effects were found. Investigation of personal experience with childcare and college students\u27 childcare ideals demonstrated relationships between these variables and the trait-ratings. Implications related to Social Role Theory and childcare policy are discussed for both experiments