FAMILY RESPONSIVE POLICIES AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION FOLLOWING CHILDBIRTH

Women's labor force decisions following childbirth are often pivotal i n determining their later occupational attainment. This article looks at the determinants of job changing and labor force interruptions amon g employed women following childbirth, focusing on the working conditi ons and benefits provided by organizations. Using interviews with 324 randomly selected employed pregnant women, we modeled turnover behavio r across the first year postpartum with information on family characte ristics, workplace policies in the respondent's last job, and child ca re use. Results showed that several employer policies significantly de creased job attrition after controlling for the effects of wages, part ner's income, and number of existing children- the most important bein g the length of leave available for childbirth and the ability to avoi d mandatory overtime upon return. Supervisor and coworker social suppo rt were also effective in preventing turnover among childbearing women . Results also showed some important differences in the causes of turn over that resulted in labor force exits rather than job changes. All e lse equal, women who held traditional ideas about mothers' responsibil ities for home and child care were considerably more likely to experie nce a labor force interruption following childbirth than others.