Working full-time after motherhood: Taking a longer view

Susan McRae

Oxford Brookes University

December 2005

DRAFT: DO NOT QUOTE

Employment after motherhood

• Importance of the Women and Employment Survey (WES)

• Dramatic increase over 3 decades in the employment of new mothers

Table 1: Three decades of change: women’s 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

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

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.

Figure 1: Comparative Data: Social Trends (ST) (child 5-10) and the Combined dataset (CDS)1999

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

ST CDS

FT

PT

Inactive

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

ST CDS

FT

PT

Inactive

With partners Lone mothers

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

Figure 2: Snapshots of women’s employment before and after a first birth

(CDS1988-1999)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Before 1stbaby

After 1stbirth

1st childage 5

1st childage 11

FT

PT

Not in LM

Figure 3: Work history patterns 11 years after a first birth (CDS 1988-1999)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

All first-time mothers

FT cont

PT cont

F/PT cont

FT discont

PT discont

F/PT discont

Inactive

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*

Women’s 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***

Table 4 (cont’d) 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

Table 4 (cont’d):Predicting continuous full-time employment after a first birth (3)

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

1999

Odds ratios

.54

.89

Table 4 (cont’d): Predicting Continuous full-time employment after a first birth (4)

1993

Odds Ratios

Partner’s weekly pay .998*

P disagrees her main job is family

P disagrees her job to fit family

2.57**

n.s.

W disagrees: man’s/woman’s job

W disagrees: job with no worries

Nagelkerke R squared .53

1999

Odds ratios

n.s.

2.41**

1.85**

1.80** L

2.13** L

.41

Figure 4: Transitions after a first childbirth in 1987: % experiencing downward mobility (CDS)

05

101520253035404550

1988 1993 1999

M/P

A Prof

C/S

P+P

Figures 5 & 6: Transitions after a first childbirth in 1987: % experiencing downward mobility by

occupational level and selected work histories

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1988 1993 1999

All M/P

FT cont

PT cont

PTdiscont

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1988 1993 1999

All AP

FT cont

PT cont

PTdiscont

Management/Professional Associate professional

Figures 6 & 7: Transitions after a first childbirth in 1987: % experiencing downward mobility by

occupational level and selected work histories

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1988 1993 1999

All C/Sec

FT cont

PT cont

PTdiscont

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1988 1993 1999

All P+P

FT cont

PT cont

PTdiscont

Clerical/Secretarial Personal & Protective

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 (p>.1)

Women’s weekly pay 1.004**

Nagelkerke R squared

N= women in work in 1993

.357

559

.377

559

Table 6: Promotion 1999: Odds ratiosModel 1 Model 2

Promoted in 1993 2.59*** 2.67***

Women’s 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, P+P)

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

Figure 9: Average hourly pay 1999 by work history

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

FT cont

PT cont

FT-PT cont

Mostly FT

Mostly PT

Mixed

Figure 10: Average hourly pay 1999 by Occupational Group

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Man/Prof

Asst Prof

Sec/Clerical

P&P

Man/Sales

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)

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