Abstract
Although women's employment patterns are influenced by both the presence of children and the presence of a disability, these distinct statuses have largely been explored in isolation from each other. This research employed in-depth interviews with 32 current and former disability benefit recipients to explore the ways children shape the labor market decisions and behaviors of mothers with disabilities. Motherhood served as both a motivation for and a constraint to pursuing employment, with mothers operating under distinct cost-benefit frameworks shaped by their responsibility for children. The report concludes with recommendations for programs and policies that could most effectively facilitate labor market reengagement among a subpopulation of mothers who both want to and need to work but who face unique child-related constraints to employment opportunities.