The Mommy Track in A New Country

• In Event: 2384 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 10. Gender and the Household

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of highly-educated Chinese women who decided to stay at home for a significant amount of time after they earned advanced degrees in the United States. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the reasons behind their decision of staying at home, the experiences they had during that time and the reflections that they made out of it. Our findings suggest that the status as first-generation Chinese immigrants additionally adds more obstacles for highly educated women to stay in the labour force. Recommendations are made for relevant stakeholders to provide stronger support for their female employees who struggle to balance work and life in general.

Authors

• Yifan Bai, American Institutes for Research

• Anke Li, Pennsylvania State University