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Background Mothers with lifelong care responsibilities might involuntarily be non-employed or work part-time, both of which are defined as 'underemployment.' This study aimed to investigate who these underemployed mothers are and what are the factors associated with such employment hardship when having a child with intellectual disability (ID). Method An interview survey was conducted in 2011 in two local authorities of Taiwan on 876 working-age mothers with a child with intellectual disability; 514 of them were working part-time/non-employed and chosen as participants of this study. Results The mothers with a younger child with intellectual disability, a higher level of education, a lower level of family income and more family members with disabilities were more likely to be underemployed compared with the mothers who were voluntarily working part-time/non-employed. Conclusions The underemployed mothers were more likely to have financial difficulty and heavy caregiving loads; their employment hardship should be of concern for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the prevalence and causes of employment hardship between Mexican-origin and White women. Data come from the March 1992, 1996, and 2000 Current Population Surveys. Using logistic regression, the author assesses whether there is a difference between Mexican-origin and White women in employment hardship, controlling for personal and structural factors. Then, the analysis is conducted separately for these two groups of women to evaluate whether particular correlates of employment hardship affect them differently. The findings show that there were more than twice as many Mexican-origin women than White women who experienced employment hardship. Net of relevant factors, employment hardship among Mexican women was greater than among comparable White women. Separate analysis revealed that Mexican-origin women who were young, poorly educated, recent immigrants, and employed in low-skilled occupations and the services industry were vulnerable to employment hardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]