SOCIAL NETWORK AND THE MATERNAL ROLE SATISFACTION OF FORMERLY-MARRIED MOTHERS

An association between strength of social network and maternal role satisfaction was demonstrated by Elizabeth Bott (1957). Whereas Bott's sample was composed of mothers in intact marriages, the present study extends Bott's investigation by examining this relationship utilizing a sample of formerly-married mothers (FMM). Secondary analysis of interviews conducted with a non-probability sample of 119 FMM was used to test the hypothesis that the milieu provided by a woman's social network predicts her satisfaction with the demands of the maternal role. Strength of social network was not found to be significantly associated with maternal role satisfaction, failing to support the hypothesis. Several components of the social network variable-satisfaction of relationship with parents and overall satisfaction with friendships-did prove, however, to be significantly related to the dependent variable. Alternate interpretations of the latter findings are discussed. Comparison of the present findings with those of Bott's (1957) are not directly interpretable. Further research comparing mothers in intact marriages with FMM should be meaningful and is suggested.