(Re)Centering the discourse and practice of caring labor: The intersection of feminist thought and childcare

By

Rebecca Ann Matthew

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in

Social Welfare

in the

Graduate Division

of the

University of California, Berkeley

Committee in charge:

Professor Jill Duerr Berrick, Chair Professor Susan Stone Professor Susan Holloway Professor Catherine Leviten-Reid

Fall 2013

(Re)Centering the discourse and practice of caring labor: The intersection of feminist thought and cooperative childcare

© 2013

by Rebecca Ann Matthew

ABSTRACT

(Re)Centering the discourse and practice of caring labor: The intersection of feminist thought and cooperative childcare

by

Rebecca Ann Matthew

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare

University of California, Berkeley

Professor Jill Duerr Berrick, Chair

This dissertation examines a range of differences among for-profit, non-profit, and cooperative childcare centers using cross-sectional survey data obtained from approximately 748 childcare centers and 2,743 staff members throughout Canada. I make use of feminist theories of care to critically analyze the ways in which for-profit, non-profit, and cooperative childcare centers “value” this type of care, as evidenced by several indicators of labor quality (e.g., wages, benefits, advancement opportunity, workplace social capital). The following research questions guided this inquiry:

(1) In what ways do employee labor conditions (e.g., wages) in differ from non-profit and for-profit childcare centers?

(2) In what ways do individual-level factors (e.g., # of years within childcare field) within cooperatives differ from non-profit and for-profit childcare centers?

(3) How well do labor conditions (e.g., wages) predict turnover/intentions to leave and level of job security, controlling for the nature of the work, co-worker and supervisory relationship satisfaction, workplace social capital, decision-making practices, and quality of the work situation?

(4) How well does auspice predict various labor conditions (e.g., gross wages), controlling for individual-level factors (e.g., education level, age)?

And, (5) How well does auspice predict turnover/intentions to leave and level of job security, controlling for: individual-level factors; gross hourly wages; pay/benefit/promotional opportunity satisfaction; unionization; promotional opportunities; professional development; the nature of the work; co-worker and supervisory relationship satisfaction; workplace social capital; organizational influence and decision-making practices; and quality of the work situation?

1

Findings indicate that much like previous research demonstrating a non-profit labor advantage (e.g., Doherty, Friendly, & Forer, 2002), cooperatives also tend to “value” this labor to a greater extent than do for-profit centers, as evidenced by: higher wages; greater employee satisfaction with pay, benefits, and promotional opportunities; better assessments of work situation (e.g., my work gives me a sense of accomplishment); higher levels of de-centralization (i.e., extent to which others can and do have input into decision-making), formalization (i.e., extent to which roles and responsibilities are standardized and explicit), and overall organizational influence; as well as, greater odds of unionization, participation in professional development, and intentions to remain working in the childcare field. And, cooperative employees in particular, reported the highest levels of de-centralized decision-making practices.

This study represents the largest analysis of differences in labor conditions among for- profit, non-profit, and cooperative childcar