Mothers' timing of return to work by leave use and pre-birth job characteristics

• Published in: Journal of family studies Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 153 - 166
• Main Author: Baxter, Jennifer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Maleny, Qld Routledge 01.08.2009; eContent Management Pty Ltd; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Employment; Employment Opportunities; employment transitions; Family Policy; Family Work Relationship; maternal employment; Maternity leave; Mothers; Parental leave; Work and family; Working mothers
• ISSN: 1322-9400; 1839-3543
• DOI: 10.5172/jfs.15.2.153

This paper explores the timing of mothers' return to work using data from the 2005 Parental Leave in Australia Survey (PLAS), which was nested in Wave 1.5 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The analyses explore differences in timing of return to work, within 18 months after a birth, according to mothers' use of leave and employment before the birth of their child. Results showed that having worked before the birth was a strong predictor of timing of return after the birth. For those who were employed, those who used no leave had a relatively slow return to work, while among those who used leave, whether leave was paid, unpaid or a combination of paid and unpaid did not result in large differences in the likelihood of a mother returning to work by 18 months after the birth. Women who used only paid leave had a slightly higher rate of return to work than those who used unpaid leave, either on its own or in combination with paid leave. There were larger differences in timing of return within this 18-month period.