Working Mothers and Children’s Social-emotional Development: Struggling with Family and Job Roles in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Authors

Ignasia Paskal Mbatta, University of Dar-es-SalaamFollow

Abstract

This study aimed at examining the socio-emotional development of employed mothers’ children in the metropolis of Dar es Salaam. Early childhood socio-emotional development is crucial for shaping a child’s short- and long-term well-being, relationships, and overall mental health. An exploratory qualitative approach employing a phenomenological design, guided this study. In-depth interviews, documentary reviews, and active participant observation were used to collect data. The study sample comprised of 42 working mothers, 9 domestic workers, and 90 children under five years of age of the same mothers. Purposive sampling was used to select working mothers, while domestic workers were selected incidentally. The findings revealed that working mothers living in different parts of Dar es Salaam were often challenged by traffic congestion, which had implications on commuting time and time spent with their young children. Most mothers left home very early in the morning and returned home late from their jobs due to time spent on transport and other socio-economic activities after formal work. Exhaustion, strain, and commuting time were shown to limit the quality of the time that mothers spent with children. Also, role conflict, family responsibilities and other socioeconomic demands and constraints in balancing work and domestic activities adversely affected maternal sensitivity and responsiveness. This, in turn hindered the creation of a supportive environment necessary for the development of children’s socio-emotional skills. Thus, there is a need for national early childhood development policies on childcare of infants and toddlers that foster socio-emotional development, particularly of working mothers, by creating integrated early child development and family support initiatives.

Recommended Citation

Mbatta, Ignasia Paskal (2025) "Working Mothers and Children’s Social-emotional Development: Struggling with Family and Job Roles in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 14: No. 1, Article 5.
DOI: 10.56279/e5yb4128
Available at: https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/jhss/vol14/iss1/5