Abstract
AbstractWhilst there is a rich literature on maternity and employment, and an emerging literature on mental health and employment, which inform policy and human resources (HR) practice, there is a lack of consideration of the intersection of these issues—the two‐way relationship between maternal (specifically ‘perinatal’) mental health and employment. To understand individual employee perinatal mental health and employment experiences and pathways, and also trends in workplace experience in different contexts, researchers should consider the interaction of four elements: the body; the socio‐cultural context; individual agency and time. Drawing on existing transdisciplinary literature and illustrative examples from the UK context, a series of issues for exploration are identified at different levels of a bio‐ecological systems framework. The article concludes with implications for HR management practice.
Highlights
IntroductionPolicy and human resources (HR) practice, there is omission of consideration of the intersection of these issues in both research and practice—the two-way relationship between maternal ( ‘perinatal’) mental illness and employment
Whilst there is a rich literature on maternity and employment, and an emerging literature on mental health and employment, which inform policy and human resources (HR) practice, there is a lack of consideration of the intersection of these issues—the two-way relationship between maternal ( ‘perinatal’) mental health and employment
Stumbitz et al (2018) state that there is an urgent need for research on maternity management to consider the complex and embodied transitions from pregnancy to maternity leave and paid work
Summary
Policy and human resources (HR) practice, there is omission of consideration of the intersection of these issues in both research and practice—the two-way relationship between maternal ( ‘perinatal’) mental illness and employment. The aim of this article is to develop a robust theoretical framework for exploring this intersection, and an agenda for research and practice, akin to Atkinson et al (2021) paper on menopause and employment. The paper draws on existing transdisciplinary literature, and illustrative examples from the UK context
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