Following a prologue in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 delves into the pivotal role of departmental culture and leadership in shaping parental leave experience. Findings reveal that the parental leave policy at one R1 institution fell short in providing adequate support due to the absence of proactive guidance from supervisors and department heads. The…

New May jobs data show that despite greater jobs gains, women's recovery continues to lag behind that of men. Women's jobs on payroll are still 4.2 million below pre-COVID-19 levels, compared with 3.5 million fewer jobs on payroll for men. Further, high jobs deficits in schools and child care centers point to difficulties for employed mothers and…

Against a background of Bologna process goals to improve employment prospects for PhD graduates, and the crisis of precarious employment conditions and prospects afflicting postdoctoral researchers -- hitherto postdocs, the OECD ([2021], "Reducing the Precarity of Academic Research Careers." In "OECD Science, Technology and Industry…

Higher education is essential to accessing high-demand jobs with family-supporting wages and improving family financial wellbeing. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic and is especially true now as the nation continues the process of recovering from one of the worst public health, economic, and social crises in modern U.S. history. To…

Most stay-at-home mothers wish to return to the workplace; yet, the majority are not successful. There is a looming labor shortage and increasing organizational initiatives to increase female participation at most levels, providing opportunity for this talent pool. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the reentry strategies of…

This paper focuses on the methodology of a study that asked what factors English mothers of very young babies consider when making employment decisions and childcare choices, and sought their views on the idea of carers in day care settings "loving" their children. After a characterisation of life historical study, a four-staged process…

Today, women comprise nearly half the U.S. workforce and outnumber men in many previously male-dominated fields. This seismic cultural and demographic shift has dramatically impacted organizations. The most obvious impact is the presence of, and dependence on, increased numbers of women employees throughout organizations. Retention of talented…

Dealing with developmental tasks in work and family domains is an important challenge for young and middle-aged adults. We investigated a transition that has evolved into a normative task for women, namely, the retransition back to paid work following maternity leave. In a diary study with 149 mothers who had just returned to work, we examined the…

A recent policy direction in many OECD countries has been to increase workforce participation for women of childbearing age; a policy direction which seemingly runs counter to a need for improved work-life balance for women themselves. This article explores the impact of this somewhat contradictory "push-pull" of policy by examining some…

The authors examine the literature pertaining to women's life transitions and the difficult decision-making process some women encounter when reentering the workforce after a period of staying at home with young children. On the basis of the unique challenges faced by this population, the authors created a conceptual framework (i.e., the Mother's…

Although there have been significant increases in the number of women participating in the workforce in recent years, many females continue to choose the role of full-time wife and mother as their life's work. Because 12% of women become widowed and the divorce rate remains steady at about 50%, a number of these stay-at-home mothers are ultimately…

Controlling for human capital inputs and unobserved heterogeneity explained 55-57% of the wage gap between mothers and nonmothers. Mothers faced the highest wage penalty at return to work. High school graduates suffered more prolonged, severe losses than women with lower or higher attainment. Their jobs were less likely to offer flexibility needed…

Examination of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that a woman's wages relate positively to early return to work after childbirth; higher family income delays return; income did not affect child care choice; greater child care tax credits increased early return; and tax credits did not affect child care choice, but predicted…

Analyzed postnatal labor force participation data for married husband-present women (N=736) to study factors influencing length of time out of work force following first birth. Found human capital variables (education, prebirth work experience, and income) and marital and birth-timing variables (age at first marriage and first birth) significantly…

A study examined the factors influencing the participation in the labor market of 150 women with young children, including their aims, training needs, and constraints. Their self-perceived employment needs were related to the policies and practices of employers and trade unions. (JOW)