The study looked at how a mother's job and satisfaction with her job affect how close parents are to their seventh-grade children. Sons felt closer to their fathers when their mothers worked, while daughters felt closer to both parents when their mothers didn't work or worked part-time. Mothers felt closer to sons when they worked, but closer to daughters when they didn't work or worked part-time. Fathers didn't show a difference in closeness based on the mother's job. The mother's job didn't affect family activities or rules, and her satisfaction with her job didn't have much impact on closeness or family activities.