Others matter when mothers return

An investigation of relational movement and its role in post-maternity leave reentry transitions

Bibliographic Data

ID21285203
AuthorsDana Mcdaniel Sumpter (0000-0003-3562-7455, Pepperdine University, corresponding author), Danna Greenberg (0000-0002-0084-1649, Babson College), Emily Rosado-Solomon (0000-0003-0239-5619, Babson College)
Year2024
Volume155
Pages104045
Publication date2024-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Vocational Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0001-8791 • E-ISSN: 1095-9084
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jvb.2024.104045
OpenAlexW4402421405
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited98

Post-maternity leave reentry, the period when mothers return to work following a maternity leave, is a profound transition in a woman's life that often sets the foundation for her work and career progression. While scholars have looked at the intraindividual aspects of this transition, the experience of reentry extends beyond the returning mother. This transition occurs in a dynamic relational and organizational system that impacts a returning mother's adjustment to work. In this study, we bring relational dynamics to the forefront of this transition as we examine how and why returning mothers' work-based relationships shift during reentry and the implications this has for returning mothers' readjustment. Drawing on qualitative data from academic mothers' retrospective accounts of their reentry transitions, our findings reveal that returning mothers experience relational movement, defined as perceived shifts in one's relational experiences. Our findings provide evidence of how relational movement plays a role in facilitating returning mothers' well-being as they readjust to work. Our theorizing of how and why relational movement occurs during reentry transitions brings to focus the complex, changing nature of women's relationships with colleagues during this time, as well as implications for women's broader workplace and career experiences. • The transition of post-maternity leave reentry entails crucial relational changes • Two patterns of relational movement occur during this transition: relational enrichment and relational detachment • Relational movement associates with returning mothers’ feelings of self-efficacy and self-compassion upon reentry

Demographic economics · Developmental psychology · Economics · Maternity leave · Movement (music) · Physics · Reentry · Employment and Welfare Studies · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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