Motherhood in academia: A novel dataset of UK academic women with an application to maternity leave uptake

Abstract

Motherhood is widely believed to be an important factor slowing down the career progression of women. We present a novel database that combines an original survey of women and mothers working in the UK Higher Education sector with data on the occupational maternity benefits offered by academic employers. This allows users to track, at the individual level, child‐bearing experiences and employment histories simultaneously. We describe several aspects of mothers' experiences in academia and how those evolve over the years. We also conduct an empirical analysis of the determinants of maternity leave uptake, showing that women's employment status and family arrangements significantly impact the types of maternity leave – paid or unpaid – taken.