This study investigated the relationship between cooking frequency and cooking skills, dietary awareness, dietary experiences and self-efficacy in mothers of infants according to their type of employment. Participants were 1,146 mothers (760 unemployed mothers, 227 part-time employed mothers and 159 full-time employed mothers). We conducted a questionnaire survey about cooking frequency and skills, dietary awareness and experiences and self-efficacy. The main results were as follows: (1) all mothers acquired high cooking skills. In terms of chirashi zushi and hamburger steak, unemployed mothers prepared them more frequency than mothers in full-time employment; (2) there was no difference in dietary experience by type of employment. Full-time employed mothers were much more aware of convenient food choices than unemployed mothers; (3) as a common point, cooking skills and dietary awareness affected cooking frequency. One difference noted was that self-efficacy indirectly affected cooking frequency in unemployed mothers and part-time employed mothers. These results indicated that the difference was seen in time-consuming and high-skill cooking according to the type of employment of infant mothers. Furthermore, it was suggested that self-efficacy was related to cooking frequency in unemployed mothers and part-time employed mothers.
