Pregnancy and Employment: A Literature Review - Crisis Pregnancy ...

Pregnancy and Employment: A Literature Review
3.8 Conclusion
There is a growing body of research that analyses women’s transitions back into employment following childbirth.
These studies shed light on the process of re-entry that is not possible with cross-sectional snapshots of the
female population. The research highlights that the decision on if and when to return is influenced by a complex
amalgam of personal, job and policy factors, which interact with each other to create different sets of opportunities
and costs for different women. A woman’s human capital – measured in a variety of ways (education level, prior
occupational position, work experience, prior earnings) – was found to have a strong influence on return-to-work
decisions across a wide range of countries in nearly all the studies reviewed. The positive effects of a woman’s
human capital were found in studies that examined women’s transitions in the months immediately following
childbirth and studies that took a wider time-frame across women’s careers. In general, women who had a higher
human capital and earning capacity were likely to return to work more quickly than women with lower human
capital. Furthermore, there is little evidence that the effect of a woman’s human capital has declined over time,
despite the substantial changes in women’s labour-market participation and education level over the long period
covered by the studies in the UK.
The human-capital effect is likely to be linked to both the stronger financial incentives and non-financial
motivations for women in more privileged positions to resume employment. These characteristics are also likely to
correlate with other organisational benefits that encourage a return, such as access to more generous employerprovided
maternity pay and greater job security. Women’s individual and family characteristics in terms of their
age of birth, number and age of other children and partner’s characteristics are also found to influence return
decisions. However, in this case, the effects are more varied across countries. This suggests that their influence is
moderated by policy regimes such as the availability and cost of childcare, and the level of economic dependency
among couples that is encouraged by the tax and benefit system.
Job and organisational factors are also found to play a role in return decisions. Women in the public sector, those
in permanent positions and women with access to flexible working arrangements are all more likely to make
a quicker return to employment. These findings highlight the type of employer arrangements that increase
retention following childbirth. Employer provisions also interact with state provisions for maternity leave and
for flexible work options. In countries where government-provided benefits are lower (for example in the US),
employer benefits become increasingly important. Government-provided maternity and parental-leave schemes
have been instrumental in maintaining women’s link to employment following childbirth. In the absence of such
provision, women’s probability of returning to employment is much lower and employment gaps of many years are
much more common.
Return-to-work decisions are not simply driven by policies, socio-demographic characteristics and job
characteristics; individual preferences also play a role, particularly women’s orientation towards family. The extent
to which women’s preferences can be exercised is, however, related back to both her individual resources and the
labour market and policy context in which she is located.
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