Working full-time after motherhood: Taking a longer view

1
Working full-time after motherhood Taking a
longer view

• Susan McRae
• Oxford Brookes University
• December 2005

DRAFT DO NOT QUOTE
2
Employment after motherhood

• Importance of the Women and Employment Survey
  (WES)
• Dramatic increase over 3 decades in the
  employment of new mothers

3
Table 1 Three decades of change womens
employment after childbirth
1979 1988 1996 2002
In work 24 45 67 72
Full-time 5 15 24 18
Part-time 19 29 42 54
Not in work 76 55 33 28
Seeking work 14 20 10 6
4
Working full-time after motherhood Taking a
longer view

• First-time mothers in the labour market
• Snapshots vs continuous employment
• Defining and predicting continuity of employment
• Benefits of continuity
• Concluding comments

5
Data

• A combined dataset based on three postal
  surveys of women who had given birth between
  November 1987 and January 1988
• 1988 maternity rights survey
• 1993 survey of women from 1988 who had been
  employed or looking for work during pregnancy
• 1999 survey, with same base as 1993.

6
Figure 1 Comparative Data Social Trends (ST)
(child 5-10) and the Combined dataset (CDS)1999
With partners
Lone mothers
7
Table 2 Comparative occupational data Social
Trends (ST) and the Combined Dataset (CDS) 1999
ST (All) CDS
Management 11 12
Professional 10 12
Associate professional 11 15
Clerical/secretarial 26 26
Craft/manual 2 2
Personal Protective 17 17
Sales 12 7
Operatives 4 2
Other occupations 8 8
8
Figure 2 Snapshots of womens employment before
and after a first birth (CDS1988-1999)
9
Figure 3 Work history patterns 11 years after a
first birth (CDS 1988-1999)
10
Table 4 Predicting continuous full-time
employment after a first birth (1)
1993 Odds ratios
Occupation (ref manual/sales) Management/Professional Associate professional Clerical Secretarial Personal Protective 1.37 4.07 2.82 4.60
Womens pay 1.015
Number of children .224
Uses paid childcare 2.35
1999 Odds ratios
5.18 4.99 2.20 1.46
1.073
.457
2.89
11
Table 4 (contd) Predicting continuous full-time
employment after a first birth (2)
1999 Odds ratios
Childcare problems have affected her job opportunities (ref yes in both 1993 and 1999) Childcare problems in either 1993 or 1999 Childcare problems never affected opportunities 2.21 L 4.95 L
12
Table 4 (contd)Predicting continuous full-time
employment after a first birth (3)
1999 Odds ratios

.54 .89
1993 Odds ratios
Sector93 (ref other industries) Education Health/Social Public other services Business Finance .80 .26 1.07 .47
Sector99 (ref Private sector) Education/Health Public other services
13
Table 4 (contd) Predicting Continuous full-time
employment after a first birth (4)
1999 Odds ratios
n.s.
2.41 1.85
1.80 L 2.13 L
.41
1993 Odds Ratios
Partners weekly pay .998
P disagrees her main job is family P disagrees her job to fit family 2.57 n.s.
W disagrees mans/womans job W disagrees job with no worries
Nagelkerke R squared .53
14
Figure 4 Transitions after a first childbirth in
1987 experiencing downward mobility (CDS)
15
Figures 5 6 Transitions after a first
childbirth in 1987 experiencing downward
mobility by occupational level and selected work
histories
Management/Professional
Associate professional
16
Figures 6 7 Transitions after a first
childbirth in 1987 experiencing downward
mobility by occupational level and selected work
histories
Clerical/Secretarial
Personal Protective
17
Table 5 Promotion 1993
Model 1 Odds ratios Model 2 Odds ratios
Labour market duration (months) 1.025 1.022
Employment status (ref mostly part-time) Mostly full-time Full-time part-time about equally 4.11 3.15 2.81 2.78
Had formal training course at workplace 3.51 3.33
Had formal training course away from work 1.84 1.16 (pgt.1)
Womens weekly pay 1.004
Nagelkerke R squared N women in work in 1993 .357 559 .377 559
18
Table 6 Promotion 1999 Odds ratios
Model 1 Model 2
Promoted in 1993 2.59 2.67
Womens weekly pay 1.002 1.002
Holds traditional views .645 .622
Employment status (ref mostly part-time) Mostly full-time Full-time part-time about equally Duration in labour market 1.88 2.08 n.s
FT continuous employment to 1999 1.56
Occupation (ref manual, sales, PP) Management/Professional Associate professional Clerical/Secretarial 3.64 3.43 3.68 3.58 3.35 3.48
Nagelkerke R squared N women in work in 1999 .256 751 .246 751
19
Figure 9 Average hourly pay 1999 by work history
20
Figure 10 Average hourly pay 1999 by
Occupational Group
21
Concluding comments

• Employment continuity still not the norm
• Full-time continuous employment is the minority
  pattern
• But clear benefits from continuity, especially
  for full-timers
• Avoidance of DOM
• Promotion (fairly weak)
• Pay (for part-timers too)

22
Concluding comments

• Polarisation between women persists
• Continuity concentrated in higher level
  occupational groups
• Being able to pay for childcare enhances
  continuity chances
• Higher earners more likely to work continuously