abstract: 'It is well documented that motherhood influences gendered outcomes in

  work institutions. However, how paid work influences women''s private

  sphere and sense of self remains unclear and could vary across

  societies. This article focuses on identity construction among 28

  college-educated stay-at-home mothers in Shanghai. The findings from

  semi-structured, in-depth interviews reveal tension negotiation and

  reconciliation within these mothers'' multiple self-identities. Despite

  choosing to voluntarily leave their paid jobs and become stay-at-home

  mothers, participants differentiated between their maternal identity and

  their stay-at-home mother identity; in particular, they perceived

  motherhood as more valuable and socially acceptable than the choice to

  be a stay-at-home mother (i.e., participants readily identified as

  mothers but hesitated to describe themselves as stay-at-home mothers).

  To avoid this tension and protect their self-image, participants

  incorporated aspects of their previous working identity into their

  stay-at-home mother identity, such as taking part-time jobs and framing

  their childrearing experience as a future career asset. The results help

  explain how the notion of work shapes women''s self-image, even when they

  leave the labor market. Overall, the findings reinforce mothering

  imperatives and identities and the need to understand them from a

  cross-cultural perspective in relation to societal prevailing gender

  norms.'
affiliation: 'Chen, L (Corresponding Author), Fudan Univ, Sch Social Dev \& Publ Policy,
  Dept Social Work, 220 Handan Rd, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China.

  Tian, Felicia F. F., Fudan Univ, Sch Social Dev \& Publ Policy, Dept Sociol, Shanghai,
  Peoples R China.

  Chen, Lin, Fudan Univ, Sch Social Dev \& Publ Policy, Dept Social Work, Shanghai,
  Peoples R China.

  Chen, Lin, Fudan Univ, Sch Social Dev \& Publ Policy, Dept Social Work, 220 Handan
  Rd, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China.'
author: Tian, Felicia F. F. and Chen, Lin
author-email: linc@fudan.edu.cn
author_list:
- family: Tian
  given: Felicia F. F.
- family: Chen
  given: Lin
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/gwao.12973
earlyaccessdate: FEB 2023
eissn: 1468-0432
files: []
issn: 0968-6673
journal: GENDER WORK AND ORGANIZATION
keywords: 'cross-cultural perspective; identity construction; self-image;

  stay-at-home mother; urban China; work-family balance'
keywords-plus: 'LABOR-FORCE PARTICIPATION; URBAN CHINA; CHILD-CARE; WAGE PENALTY;

  GENDER; EDUCATION; WORK; INEQUALITY; EMPLOYMENT; WOMEN'
language: English
month: 2023 FEB 9
number-of-cited-references: '86'
papis_id: 63660ccec19f141556ff37e8e57f7711
ref: Tian2023tiptoeidentity
times-cited: '0'
title: 'On tiptoe: Identity tension and reconciliation among Shanghai stay-at-home
  mothers'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000931281600001
usage-count-last-180-days: '8'
usage-count-since-2013: '8'
web-of-science-categories: Management; Women's Studies
year: '2023'