Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Theses
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ItemWomen's employment in pregnancy and following birth: effect on psychological well-being( 2010)Currently in Australia, 80% of women are employed during first pregnancy, and 40% resume employment in the postpartum. The first aim of this study was to identify which of a broad range of factors, including maternal preferences, maternal separation anxiety and maternity entitlements, contributed to maternal employment in the first 10 postpartum. The second aim was to identify the contribution of women’s satisfaction with employment arrangements to their psychological well-being. Participants were 165 employed pregnant women over 18 years of age and with sufficient English for completion of study materials, systematically recruited in the third trimester of pregnancy. Data were collected in pregnancy and at 3 and 10 months postpartum. Maternal preferences, not or no longer breastfeeding and lower maternal separation anxiety were associated with significantly increased likelihood of resuming postpartum employment when maternal age, educational attainment and occupational status were controlled for. A constellation of adverse employment conditions made independent contributions to measurably worse maternal mood including experiencing sexual discrimination in pregnancy, no maternity entitlements when known determinants of poorer maternal well-being were controlled in regression analyses. These findings provide evidence about the relevance of structural determinants to maternal well-being, and highlight the urgency of a national paid parental leave scheme in Australia.