Women's return to the job market: impact of maternity leave

• Grant number: 15/20025-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2015
• End date: November 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Social Welfare Economics
• Principal Investigator: Elaine Toldo Pazello
• Grantee: Bruna Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade de Ribeirão Preto (FEARP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the increasing participation of women in the job market, job law issues have become increasingly relevant. In this sense, one can highlight the maternity leave, which aims at the protection of women in employment during pregnancy and after motherhood. The present study has as its aim to measure the impact of maternity leave on the return of women to the job market after the birth of her son. To do so, this study will use the data from the monthly survey of employment (PME), conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The analysis will be performed for the years 2002 to 2014, comprising a new research methodology. The study was carried out to observe if the effects of maternity leave increase the participation of women in the job market after the birth of his son in relation to women who are not entitled to this benefit. To deal with the differences in terms of engagement in the job market that already exist between women with and without maternity leave, we will work also with a Group of women without children. Our hypothesis is that the difference of engagement between women with and without a license that exists independent of the birth of the son could be picked up by the Group of women without children. At the end of the study, we hope that our results contribute to a better understanding of the effects of maternity leave on women's engagement in the job market, still little explored theme in Brazilian literature.