Occupational Mobility

Abstract

We are interested in examining women’s occupational changes around the time of family formation. Women’s occupations are important in that they determine to a significant extent the pay which an individual woman receives as well as her employment prospects over the life cycle. Women’s occupational changes over their family-formation period are particularly interesting since it is this break from work for childbirth which has been thought to be largely responsible for women’s occupational downgrading and for limiting women’s occupational advancement. In Britain many women also make a status transition from full-time to part-time work over the family formation phase.