Why Do(n’t) They Leave? Motherhood, Marriage and Women’s Job Changes

• In Event: 161 - Section on Organizations, Occupation and Work Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 18. Job Mobility and Labor Markets

Abstract

Previous research has documented the effects of motherhood and marriage on women’s job changes and employment exits. Much of this research has focused on changes and exits made in response to women’s family responsibilities – changes that often result in wage penalties. This focus overlooks the fact that women change jobs and leave the labor market for a variety of reasons, some of which are beneficial to wage growth. In this paper, I use competing hazards event history models to examine how both motherhood and marriage influence the different reasons women change jobs and exit the labor market (family-related, non-family related voluntary and non-family related involuntary). I find that while pregnancy and preschoolers encourage family-related job changes and exits, they discourage non-family voluntary changes, which is often an important source of wage growth for workers. Thus, not only do mothers (and expectant mothers) likely incur wage losses for job changes and employment exits motivated by their family responsibilities, but they are less likely enjoying the wage gains that often accompany voluntary job mobility. This may be an important, and little considered, factor contributing to the motherhood wage penalty.

Author

• Jessica Looze, University of Massachusetts-Amherst