{"title":"Others matter when mothers return: An investigation of relational movement and its role in post-maternity leave reentry transitions","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jvb.2024.104045","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>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.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Behavior","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Vocational Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879124000861","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
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.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Vocational Behavior publishes original empirical and theoretical articles offering unique insights into the realms of career choice, career development, and work adjustment across the lifespan. These contributions are not only valuable for academic exploration but also find applications in counseling and career development programs across diverse sectors such as colleges, universities, business, industry, government, and the military.
The primary focus of the journal centers on individual decision-making regarding work and careers, prioritizing investigations into personal career choices rather than organizational or employer-level variables. Example topics encompass a broad range, from initial career choices (e.g., choice of major, initial work or organization selection, organizational attraction) to the development of a career, work transitions, work-family management, and attitudes within the workplace (such as work commitment, multiple role management, and turnover).