mothers rated high on sensitivity, their attachment relationship with their infants were more likely to be secure, while those who rejected their infants in times of distress had anxious attachments with their infants (LaFreniere, 1998). Other studies have shown that emotional availability and emotional communication are strong predictors of security of attachment between mothers and infants. It is believed by many developmentalists that an infant's attachment to its primary caregiver forms the foundation for subsequent relationships.
Scarr, Phillips and McCartney (1989) reviewed the effects of maternal employment on marital relations, development of children, and on the others themselves. The review found that employed mothers of children under age three worked a total of 90 hours per week when shopping, house cleaning, cooking, laundry and child care were included, whereas fathers worked an average of 50 hours a week when all these factors were included. However, self-reports from these mothers indicated that they
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