The Study On Working Mothers' Career Trajectory In The Context Of Two-Child Policies

As a major life event,childbearing has greater impact on women than men.In the dual constraints of individual time and energy,the double burden of work and family makes female career trajectory far different from men,which is arousing wide public concern.Existing studies have been concerned about the paradoxical relationship between fertility and women's career development.However,foreign scholars have measured income inequality between mothers and fathers,while our research is mainly speculative style,descriptive,static study with limited empirical support.In view of this,combined with birth policy adjustments in our country,to clarify the chain of reactions and internal mechanisms for child-rearing on women's career will not only enrich our existing research,Promote cross-cultural academic dialogue,but also provide a basis for predicting the women's career situation in the future and then make a reference for the optimization of female employment and further adjustment of fertility policies.In this study,based on a nationwide fieldwork in 12 cities,it fully describes the status of mothers' labor force participation,career interruption and work-family conflict,and explores the consequences brought about by the above,and dynamically examines trends in mothers' occupational mobility before and after the birth of a child.Besides,compared with fathers,it distinguishes special factors affecting mothers'labor force participation,career interruption,work-family conflict and occupational mobility.On this basis,the linkage mechanism of the above four is illustrated.Furthermore,from the perspective of social support,the study analyzes differential effects of social support for parents' balance of work and family according to different sources,and possible parenting support for working mothers in the context of the universal two-child policy.The study finds that:Affected by women's life-cycle,26 to 30-year-old mothers are in the stage of the lowest employment.Given that mothers' labor supply decision are based on family unit,their labor force participation is the balance of the husband's income,number and age of children,child-care costs,and mothers' salary.At the same time,the results show that more than half of women have interrupted their career due to marriage,pregnancy,birth or child-rearing.According to the family life cycle and mothers' time of returning to the labor market,the study subdivides the career interruption into five types,among which the later mothers enter the labour market for the first time,the longer the career interruption is,the greater negative effects are on the their income.Moreover,past experience of career interruption will inhibit mothers' subsequent labor force participation,reduce occupational returns,and promote the willingness of a full-time mom and to give birth again.Compared with fathers,mothers are prone to earn less money,flow to poor posts with fewer opportunities for promotion and higher incidence of career plateau mentality.Meanwhile,fewer numbers of children,higher levels of education or origin from urban families will facilitate mothers' occupation mobility upward.Currently,mothers born in 1970s and 1980s are more inclined upward mobility.Overall,the work-family conflict of mothers is higher than fathers.Relatively,fathers have higher work-to-family conflict while mothers have higher family-to-work conflict.Moreover,work-family conflict has a negative impact on parents' job satisfaction,quality of family life,and physical and mental health according to gender.On dual conflicts of mothers,education can negatively predict their family-to-work conflict.Once at the undergraduate or graduate level,both mothers' work-family conflict and work-to-family conflict will be exacerbated.The increase of income can reduce mothers' family-to-work conflict.Mothers in market sectors have greater work-family conflict,in which self-employed workers' dual conflicts are most intense.Beside,the number of children will positively predict mothers' work-family conflict and family-to-work conflict,while children ages will forecast forward mothers' work-to-family conflict and negative predict their family-to-work conflict.Moreover,mothers' work-to-family conflicts are more influenced by family-related factors while their family-to-work conflicts are more likely to be affected by work-related factors.The above career trajectories of mothers shaped by childbearing have its inherent linkage.Work-family conflict can negatively predict mothers' labor supply and occupational mobility,while it can forward forecast their career interruption.As a solution,the organization's support plays a regulatory role on parents' work-family conflict,while child-care support from families will alleviate mothers' work-family conflict,promote their continued employment and upward occupational mobility.In urban households,childcare support provided by grandparents is more widespread and free.In addition,a large number of grandparents are willing to take care of a second grandchild,but their physical condition in the future and educational level are the main constraints.Based on the above research results,the study suggests that mothers' career development will face new challenges in the context of the universal two-child policy.In view of this,we need to guard against the mixed effects of the two-way adjustment of the policies,and set a reasonable set of childbearing age and birth spacing to reduce the negative impact of childbearing on women's career.Besides,maternity costs shared by the whole society and to create family-friendly working environment are the starting and key points of the construction of family-friendly policies in our country.