title: Making work fit care: reconciliation strategies used by working mothers of adults with intellectual disabilities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study explored the experiences of working mothers with an adult child with intellectual disabilities to understand how they reconcile paid work and care responsibilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen working mothers in Taiwan with an adult child with intellectual disabilities were interviewed, and an interpretative phenomenological approach was adopted for data collection and analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All included mothers prioritized their caregiving role over paid work. The strategies used by these mothers to make paid work fit with caregiving included having strong social networks and informal support for their care work, use of formal services, personal religious beliefs and positive attitudes towards care, as well as having flexible working hours due to self-employment, good relations with employers, working positions and work locations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Formal systems, which include both welfare and labour policies, need to be responsive to and involved in supporting these working mothers, especially those who lack good personal networks.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yueh-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Li-yeh
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Heng-Hao
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children; D001290:Attitude; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000451:nursing*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D013624:Taiwan; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult