The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maternal employment on 3 to 6-year-old Chinese children’s social development and the roles of maternal mindsets and home raising environments during the process. With the use of questionnaires, a survey among children of 3-6 years old (n=429) in two kindergartens in Shenzhen and Guangzhou was conducted. Mothers were required to fill in the form of basic family information, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Anxiety Mind-Set Scale and 0-6 Years Child Home Nurture Environment Questionnaire. Results indicated that: (1) Mother’s anxiety growth mindset protected children from more emotional and behavioral problems. Mother’s anxiety mindset moderated the relations between working/non-working mothers and children’s emotional and behavioral problems, whereas the protection effect of mother’s growth mindset on children’s problems weakened for working mothers. The active effects of non-working mother’s growth mindset on children’s emotional and behavioral problems and the passive effects of non-working mother’s fixed mindset were both greater than those of working mother’s, which means the quality of mother’s accompany with children is more important than the quantity of time mother spent with children. (2)Children benefited more from mothers who work part-time. Home raising environment fully mediated the relations between mothers working part-time/full-time and children’s social development. Government should encourage mothers to work part-time and supply more supports. (3)Grandparents and home-nurses as main caregivers in children’s early lives could have an adverse effect on children’s social development, but this effect could be offset by the time father spent with children, mother’s mindsets and the quantity of home raising environment. Similarly, the influence of father’s accompany with children could be offset by mother’s mindsets and the quantity of home raising environment. (4)Mother’s anxiety mindset, the time father spent with children and children’s early caregivers significantly predicted the quantity of home raising environment.
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