THE NIGERIAN WORKING MOTHER AND HER PRE-SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN: THE INCIPIENCE OF ROLE INCOMPATIBILITY AND ITS RESOLUTIONS

One of the consequences of increasing employment of women outside the home is the strain experienced by them in combining work with the care of their young children. In the case of Nigerian working mothers, to combine work with active motherhood is not a new phenomenon. Where conflict seems to be emerging is in respect to the considerable number of mothers who often work outside the home and the increasing difficulty experienced by these women in finding 'substitute mothers' who are either paid household servants or unemployed relatives. By examining currently employed and unemployed mothers in selected urban areas, it was found that childcare responsibility is a factor which is likely to inhibit gainful employment in the nearest future. As a result of this finding, it is being suggested that there is a need for providing appropriate childcare facilities as well as suitable conditions that would serve the needs of mothers of pre-school age children, if they were to participate actively in the labor force.