Abstract
Data from a national survey of new mothers are linked to data from a survey of their pre-birth employers in order to investigate the importance of employer characteristics and policies, relative to women's individual characteristics and circumstances, in determining labour supply outcomes after childbirth. Three labour supply outcomes are examined: returning to work after childbirth, hours of work after returning to work, and choice of employer after the birth. Over the period of time between the birth and whether the mother returned to work (8-9 months), it appeared that women's own characteristics, and the local rate of female unemployment, exerted a stronger influence on drawing women back into employment than did employers' policies. However, employers' retention policies appeared to give women the choice of remaining out of the labour market for longer periods, without risking the penalties usually associated with changing jobs after childbirth. The study finds no evidence to support a suggestion derived from labour market segmentation theory that there will be a distinct patterning in terms of industry or size of the relationship between employers' policies and women's labour supply decisions after childbirth. However, further support is given to the importance of employers' policies in relation to the segmentation of the labour supply.4
Published Version
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