Purpose:  Although differences in maternal income and education have been found to be associated with differences in parenting practices, we know little about the effects of social capital on poor mothers' parenting.  The objectives of this study were to evaluate the social networks of low-income mothers, describe maternal human and social capital characteristics associated with different types of social networks, and examine how  mothers’ personal and socially-embedded resources relate to parenting.

Methods:  This paper reports findings from a secondary analysis of the Child Outcomes Study (COS) in the National Evaluation of Welfare to Work Strategies (NEWWS).  The NEWWS/COS (n=3018) includes interviews and observations of mothers' interactions with their children in the home, and administrative and self-report data on mothers' income, education, and background.  Six measures of social network were identified, differentiating emotional from instrumental support, and social capital was measured at both family- and neighborhood-levels.  Three domains of parenting practices were identified:  maternal warmth, learning environment, and discipline.

Results:  Latent profile analysis using indicators of social support revealed high, moderate and low social support groups.   MANCOVA and chi-square analyses indicated significant between-group differences in education, welfare history, housing, and neighborhood danger, though not in income.  As hypothesized, group membership was significantly related to differences in parenting, with lower social support associated with lower scores on maternal warmth and the learning environment.  Multiple regression analyses suggest that constrained social networks are associated with different parenting strategies, which may “buffer” against some neighborhood effects, while creating high burdens on mothers’ own resources.

Implications:  Policy and practice attention to social capital development, including reduction of structural barriers to the development of diverse, resource-rich social ties, is an important counterpoint to efforts to change the behaviors of the poor mothers.