Work return rates after childbirth in the UK - trends, determinants and implications: a comparison of cohorts born in 1958 and 1970

Abstract

During the 1980s a significant growth in the proportion of women returning to work quickly post-childbirth became apparent. It was observed, however, that a polarization of opportunities was emerging, with professional women becoming the main beneficiaries of change -a trend that was predicted to accelerate during the 1990s. Comparing two cohorts of women born in 1958 and 1970, this article indicates that the trend toward faster returns continued but that the experiences of professional and non-professional women converged. The predictors of return rates also changed over this period: while occupational class was an important determinant of return timing in the 1980s, by the mid-1990s this was no longer the case. Instead the financial burden of mortgage debt was pushing women into early work returns. Associated with these changes, a reduction in the incidence of downward occupational mobility, was observed, with the greatest improvements experienced by clerical and secretarial workers. KEY WORDScare deficit / employment / motherhood / occupational mobility

Labour market entries and exits of women from different origin countries in the UK

“…These results are hardly surprising given the previous empirical research that found a similar association (Jeon 2008;Schober 2013;Smeaton 2006). More interesting is that we could not find this relationship among Pakistani & Bangladeshi women in relation to labour market exits.…”

Economic crisis and women’s labor force return after childbirth: Evidence from South Korea

“…Dex et al (1998) find that high income at the pre-birth job encourages women to resume employment quickly. Smeaton (2006) finds that women employed in professional and managerial occupations in Britain have more incentive to return to work after childbirth than others. In short, women with greater labor force engagement should, all else being equal, have a higher return intensity and faster return speed than others.…”

“…To maintain stability, security, high earning levels, and career enhancement, highly educated women may return to jobs more quickly than others. Furthermore, they are able to use their economic resources to combine caring and career: in a context short of public childcare services the highly educated are more able to afford private childcare than others (Smeaton 2006). On the other hand the less educated have less to lose from temporary labor market disengagement and are thus more likely to resume homemaker positions after childbirth, as is the case in West Germany (Gustafsson et al 1996).…”

“…The length of time out has been congruously argued to have played a pivotal role in determining women's career prospects upon return. A longer break from work often leads to reduced job status and a lower paid position (Gupta and Smith 2002;Smeaton 2006;Aisenbrey, Evertsson and Grunow 2009;Gangl and Ziefle 2009;Evertsson and Duvander 2010).…”

Family Structure and Work Satisfaction: Can Work-Life Balance Policies Foster Happiness in the Workplace

“…Obviously, this joint consideration implies to add men in the equation of parenthood. Together with the well-established change in women's gender roles towards more equality in partnership and motherhood, there is a parallel switch in the men's side of the coin towards a greater involvement in rearing their children (Smeaton 2006;Gambles et al 2006).…”