Chapter 1:
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<p>Maternity leave includes the time that mothers take off from work to care for their baby and heal
after childbirth. Despite the growth of mothers in the U.S. workforce, the U.S. lags behind other
countries in offering paid maternity leave, resulting in poor quality leave for working mothers.
Scholars have continually examined maternity leave as an objective construct and this method of
measurement, while important, may be inadequate in capturing mothers’ experiences. Quality
maternity leave (QML) is a novel construct that captures mothers’ subjective leave experiences
and includes time off, benefits, coworker support, flexibility, and an absence of workplace
discrimination and microaggressions. However, little is known regarding individual predictors and
outcomes of QML. Therefore, I will discuss prevalent societal-level, work-level, and individual-
level predictors of QML and well-being and work-related outcomes of QML. I will also integrate
these into a conceptual framework that researchers can use understand what may affect and result
from QML. This review has important practical implications for US policymakers and
organizations regarding their support of mothers in society and the workplace. Future research
should continue to build on this framework to ensure that mothers are provided the QML they need
to thrive.
</p><p><br></p><p>Chapter 2:</p><p>
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<p>Maternity leave is a critical part of decent work when mothers are able to heal from childbirth,
care for their newborn, attend medical appointments, and integrate their identities. However, the
United States is one of few countries that does not offer paid maternity leave and instead offers
job-protected unpaid time off from work, despite the importance of maternity leave for important
maternal work and well-being outcomes. Scholars have typically examined maternity leave with
objective indicators (e.g., days off from work) instead of investigating mothers’ subjective
experiences of the quality of their maternity leave (QML), contributing to a lack of understanding
regarding what leads to and results from QML attainment. Therefore, in the present study, I drew
upon a framework that I created through a thorough review of the literature to examine privilege
and access to power and resources, workplace culture and support, and work characteristics as
predictors of QML. Additionally, this study primarily explored work-related outcomes including
organizational commitment, turnover intentions, and job satisfaction. I hypothesized that the
former variables would indirectly predict the latter variables through QML. The findings of this
study inform inclusive, equitable, and adequate organizational and U.S. maternity leave policies. </p>
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| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/14573640 |
| Date | 03 August 2021 |
| Creators | Haley M Sterling (10782795) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Examining_Predictors_and_Outcomes_of_U_S_Quality_Maternity_Leave/14573640 |
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