Examining the Relationship Between Maternal Employment Guilt and Internalized Sexism in Mothers with Preschool Children

Motherhood is an important part of gender inequality discussions and the basis of the unequal division of labor based on gender is mostly based on motherhood roles. It is stated that employed women have a high level of work-family conflict, perceive themselves to be far from being the "ideal" mother, and have higher levels of guilt. The internalization of sexist standards is thought to be effective in triggering and increasing feelings of guilt. In this context, this research sought to examine the sense of guilt felt by working mothers of pre-school children and the relationship of this feeling with internalized sexism and sociodemographic variables. 209 working mothers of pre-school children either in a part-time or full-time job participated in the study. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were employed in the study. The results showed that the mother’s guilt was positively related to the sub-dimensions of internalized sexism. Specifically, internalized powerlessness/loss of self and self-objectification from sub-dimensions of internalized sexism significantly predicted the mother’s guilt. Additionally, weekly working hours and the number of children also predicted the mother’s guilt. These results are important in terms of revealing the risks caused by the internalization of sexist norms that put serious pressure on mothers. Efforts towards gender equality are of great importance in increasing the quality of life for mothers in the family life and workplace.