Becoming a Working Mother: Managing Identity and Efficacy Uncertainties During Resocialization

• Published date: 01 November 2015
• Author: Danna N. Greenberg,Jamie J. Ladge
• Date: 01 November 2015
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21651

Human Resource Management, November–December 2015, Vol. 54, No. 6. Pp. 977–998

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21651

Correspondence to: Jamie J. Ladge, Associate Professor, Northeastern University, 112 Hayden Hall, Boston,

MA02115, Phone: 617-373-8176, E-mail: j.ladge@neu.edu

Epstein, Seron, Oglensky, & Saute, 1999) and

because of their status as mothers they may also

be seen as less committed to their work (Correll,

Benard, & Paik, 2007). These biases often arise

because, despite economic gains, there remains a

dominant US cultural norm that a mother’s pri-

mary role is in the home (Hayes, 1996; Johnston

& Swanson, 2006; Williams, 2000).

Beyond societal biases, many organizational

policies, practices and expectations can also make

the new mother’s return to work more difficult.

For example, many organizations still fail to pro-

vide adequate time and facilities to support a new

mother’s desire to express and store breast milk

while at work (Piderit & Poonamallee, 2006). This

lack of support is particularly impactful, as it often

occurs at the exact time when a new working

The transition back to work after the

birth of one’s first child is often a pivotal

moment in a working mother’s profes-

sional life, as it sets the stage for how

she will manage work-life integration for

the next phase of her career. While scholars have

begun to examine women’s reentry after a long

break in employment—for example, more than

two years (Hewlett & Luce, 2005)—few research-

ers have explored new mothers’ reentry experi-

ences after a standard 12-week maternity leave

(based on US standards). Professional women who

remain in the workforce following the birth of

their first child frequently face paradoxical biases.

Due to their professional involvement, working

mothers may be perceived as cold-hearted or,

worse, bad mothers (Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick, 2004;

BECOMING A WORKING

MOTHER: MANAGING IDENTITY

ANDEFFICACY UNCERTAINTIES

DURING RESOCIALIZATION

JAMIE J. LADGE AND DANNA N. GREENBERG

The work reentry period following the birth of a fi rst child is a time of uncertainty

for a professional woman. During reentry, a new mother is often questioning

who she is and how effective she can be as a mother and working professional.

In this study, we conceptualize reentry as a period of resocialization as we explore

the fi rst-time mother’s changing self-concept during this time. Specifi cally, we

develop a model that explores the identity and effi cacy uncertainties that women

experience during resocialization. This model draws attention to the infl uence

organizational context has on the degree of uncertainty women experience and

to the adjustment tactics women engage to manage their identity and effi cacy

uncertainty. We discuss the implications these fi ndings have for both socializa-

tion research and work-life theory and practice. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.

Keywords: work-family confl ict, careers, social identity theory, self-effi cacy,

quality of work life

978 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2015

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

Working mothers

are ... responding

to mixed messages

they receive from

their workplaces

about the meaning

of motherhood,

how they should

carry out their work

and nonwork roles

(Halpert & Burg,

1997; Williams,

2000), and how they

should reconcile

their maternal and

professional identities

(Ladge, Clair, &

Greenberg, 2012).

Given the advocacy for and increased preva-

lence of parental leaves of absences, there is a need

to further understand individuals’ resocialization

experiences following such leaves. Furthermore,

there is limited research that focuses on resocial-

ization as it relates to the reconstruction of one’s

identity and efficacy in light of significant life

events (Daly, 1992). Thus, our goal is to fill these

gaps by understanding how individuals experi-

ence reentry using a resocialization frame. These

issues are particularly salient for the new working

mother because mothering poses a threat to the

woman’s established identity, creating a greater

need to reconstruct her sense of self in light of

these life changes (Thoits, 1991). We anticipate

that this research will be useful for academics who

study resocialization and its influence on one’s

evolving self-concept and for researchers and

practitioners who are focused on issues pertaining

to work-life transitions.

Conceptual Background

When individuals experience significant life

changes, their sense of self is often called into ques-

tion (Levinson, 1978). Becoming a mother repre-

sents one such life event in which women begin

to think about and question the kind of mother

they want to be and how they will integrate their

new identity as a mother with their previously

established identities. In particular for professional

women, first-time motherhood has been identified

as a time in which women are questioning who

they are, who they should be, and how good they

can be as professionals and mothers (Bailey, 1999;

Buzzanell etal., 2005; Johnston & Swanson, 2006;

Millward, 2006). Working mothers are also respond-

ing to mixed messages they receive from their

workplaces about the meaning of motherhood,

how they should carry out their work and non-

work roles (Halpert & Burg, 1997; Williams, 2000),

and how they should reconcile their maternal and

professional identities (Ladge, Clair, & Greenberg,

2012). In the following sections, we explore how

women’s identity and self-efficacy may be affected

when women return to work following the birth of

a first child. We also consider how organizational

context may influence this process.

Identity and Self-Effi cacy During Reentry

Both identity and self-efficacy have been iden-

tified as important psychological constructs

to consider when exploring individual behav-

ior in organizations (Leary & Tangney, 2003).

Identity has multiple meanings, in part because

the term is used across diverse theoretical para-

digms (Petriglieri, 2011). As such, authors need to

delineate how they are defining identity and the

mother is reevaluating her professional self in light

of her newly acquired role as a mother. Because her

sense of self at this time is likely to be changing,

the professional woman may be especially vulner-

able to the messages of others and to organiza-

tional pressures and expectations.

In this study, we view the return to work as

a resocialization period for new mothers and con-

sider the implications for professional and mater-

nal self-conception during this time. Socialization

typically occurs during major life passages as indi-

viduals “learn the ropes” of a new role and setting

(Van Mannan & Schein, 1979). For

example, when a newcomer enters

an organization, that individual’s

sense of self is shaped in large part

by how she is socialized into the new

organization (e.g., through training

programs, policy documents, and/

or interactions with colleagues)

(Feldman, 1989; Louis, 1980; Van

Maanen & Schein, 1979). Similarly,

we believe organizational context

will also influence a new mother’s

changing self-concept during reen-

try. As a woman reenters the orga-

nization as a mother, she is likely

to experience the organization in

new and different ways. The orga-

nization, via formal policies and

informal interactions with organi-

zational members, may knowingly

or unknowingly influence a new

working mother’s maternal and pro-

fessional sense of self.

Building on research that sug-

gests that identity is fluid and shaped

continuously throughout adulthood

and one’s career (Gibson, 2003;

Markus & Wurf, 1987), we exam-

ine the resocialization period with

the goal of revealing how women

redefine and evaluate their profes-

sional and maternal selves and how

organizational factors shape wom-

en’s evolving self-concept during resocialization.

Specifically, we explore the fluctuations women

experience with regards to two aspects of their

self-concept, identity, and self-efficacy and seek to

identify (1) how the organizational context shapes

women’s evolving self-conceptions during resocial-

ization and (2) how women manage their identity

and self-efficacy during the resocialization period.

We explore these research questions drawing from

interview data with 40 American women who had

recently transitioned back to work following a typi-

cal (12-week) maternity leave.