Work resumption and economic independence among women with paid employment one year after childbirth

Abstract Background In Europe, women are more likely to be unemployed compared to men. Also, they more often hold part-time employment. After pregnancy and childbirth, women often reduce their working hours further or even exit the workforce altogether. This not only impacts their individual career, financial stability, and economic independence, but also their own health and well-being and that of their offspring. Objectives We aim to study the patterns of women’s work resumption in the first year after childbirth, and if sick leave during pregnancy and birth outcomes small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth play a role in this. Data from Statistics Netherlands and the Dutch Perinatal Registry from 114,722 Dutch pregnant women in paid employment (2016) were used for the analyses. Next to descriptive analyses, multivariate regression was used to assess which factors contribute to economic independence one year after childbirth. Results After pregnancy, over 50% of women reduced their working hours, and 12% became unemployed. The largest reduction was found in the group working fulltime (from 31 to 11%), in contrast, the group working 20-25 hours per week increased from 19 to 28% one year after childbirth. Among the women with sick leave during pregnancy (11%), the decrease in working hours was more pronounced and almost 40% of them became unemployed. The percentage of women being economically independent changed from 88% at the onset of pregnancy to 78% one year after childbirth. Next to employment factors (working hours and contract type), migration background and lower education were associated with lower odds of economic independence. Moreover, sick leave during pregnancy and having a SGA baby also reduced the odds of economic independence. Conclusions After pregnancy, women tend to work less than before, or even exit the workforce, with considerable impact on their economic independence. This is even more pronounced in the group with sick leave during pregnancy. Key messages • Despite paid maternity leave, pregnancy and childbirth negatively impact work force participation in women. • The need for sick leave during pregnancy is predictive of reduced work resumption and economic independence one year after pregnancy.