To work or to care? Herausforderungen der Herstellung des Alltags von Mehrkindfamilien

In multi-child families, i.e. families with three or more children, social relationships are more complex due to the larger number of members, which means that managing everyday family life can be more challenging. From a Doing Family perspective, family is not a resource that can be taken for granted, but must be actively provided on a daily basis through the efforts of its members. The article examines the guiding question of what differences can be identified in the production of everyday life in multi-child families who practice the breadwinner or dual-earner model. The empirical basis of this article is a qualitative study with twelve multi-child families, in which parent and child interviews as well as participant observations were conducted. It is shown that the arrangement of employment strongly influences the available time and the organization of family life. Maternal involvement in gainful employment is a key factor influencing the gender-specific division of labor. A mother’s non-involvement or part-time employment can facilitate the organization of care work, but on the one hand leads to the mother’s primary responsibility and on the other hand often to a tighter financial situation for the family. In this respect, dual-earner couples have fewer time resources for care work while at the same time having financial security, which in turn legitimizes this employment arrangement alongside the parents’ individual desire for self-realization. Mothers in particular who take on the role of housewife or work full-time are confronted with the norms and values imposed on them by outsiders.