How Working Parents Cope with the Care of Sick Young Children

Abstract

Previous research has documented that the failure of institutional child care to deal with the care of sick children is a widespread source of stress and dissatisfaction amongst working parents. Questionnaires distributed to working parents of young children through some Sydney child care centres netted 489 responses. The survey determined which parent generally cared for sick children, the impact on their job, and their feelings about combining work and parenting. Responses indicated that the gap in institutional child care services for sick children persists and remains a considerable source of parental dissatisfaction. Mothers in particular saw disruption to work to care for sick children as a particular problem in demonstrating commitment to their career and as a major source of guilt in their role of working parent.

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