Spit-up On My Shoulder

Last Monday, (2/25), a report was released by the U.S. Census Bureau titled, “Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers.” I found the charts and statistics fascinating in the report as a window into how women’s lives have changed since the 1960s.

The report first analyzes trends in women’s work experience prior to their first birth and the factors associated with employment during pregnancy. Changes are placed in the historical context of the enactment of family-related legislation during the last quarter of the twentieth century.

The next section identifies the maternity leave arrangements used by women before and after their first birth and the shifts that have occurred in the mix of leave arrangements that are used.

The final section examines how rapidly mothers return to work after their first birth and the factors related to the length of time they are absent from the labor force.

In addition to updating childbearing, employment, and maternity leave trends, the report provides details on changes many new mothers experience in the number of hours worked, pay level, and job skill level after the first birth. These changes are examined in relation to whether a woman returned to the same employer she had during pregnancy or changed employers after the birth of the child.

A portion of the conclusions from the report are pasted below including this line: “In addition, more women are working within a year of giving birth (64 percent in 2000–2002 compared with 39 percent in 1976–1980 and 17 percent in 1961–1965).”

We all knew mothers returning to work within the first year after birth had dramatically increased since the 60s. My question is, why are childcare options still so poor in this country considering 64 percent of families need high-quality, affordable care for their babies?

Wherever you stand on the “beaten to death” debate of at-home parents vs. parents who work outside the home, I think we all can agree that children need and deserve high-quality care.

REPORT CONCLUSIONS

Since the 1960s, women have experienced gains in education beyond the high school years and have continued to delay childbearing to older ages. The work experience of women both before and during the pregnancy preceding the birth of their first child has also increased. Women are more likely to work both before and during their pregnancy than they were 30 to 40 years ago and are working later into their pregnancy. Sixty-four percent of women who worked during their pregnancy in 2001–2003 did so into the last month of their pregnancy. In addition, more women are working within a year of giving birth (64 percent in 2000–2002 compared with 39 percent in 1976–1980 and 17 percent in 1961–1965).

One in four women quit their jobs before or shortly after the birth of their child in 2001–2003. Paid leave benefits were received by 49 percent of pregnant workers in 2001–2003; 39 percent of pregnant workers received unpaid leave; and 9 percent took disability leave. Data in this report also show that 83 percent of mothers who returned to work within 12 months of their child’s birth returned to their same employer. Women who returned to their same employer had a good chance of returning to a job with the same pay, skill level, and hours.