TY - JOUR
T1 - Identity exploration during the transition to motherhood
T2 - facilitating factors and outcomes
AU - Gross Spector, Michal
AU - Cinamon, Rachel Gali
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to expand our understanding about the way women shape their career decisions during their transition to motherhood, through the exploration process, its facilitating factors and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: A longitudinal, quantitative method was used to investigate the vocational and maternal exploration processes. Workplace, spousal and family support served as facilitating factors, and vocational decisions and well-being as outcomes. Participants were 326 Israeli women during their transition to motherhood. Findings: SEM analysis revealed a good model fit to the data. Workplace support had a positive effect on maternal exploration. Increased maternal exploration was positively associated with keeping working patterns before motherhood, and negatively associated with well-being. Research limitations/implications: The sample of the current study was limited to highly educated Israeli working women. Practical implications: The results of the current study can serve career counselors policymakers and organizations in their efforts to encourage first-time mothers to retain their paid work patterns by supporting maternal exploration through creating family-friendly policies. Originality/value: The current findings have demonstrated that social support factors contribute to the enhancement of the exploration process also in later developmental stages. Furthermore, these findings showed differential effects of managerial support on maternal exploration and vocational exploration.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to expand our understanding about the way women shape their career decisions during their transition to motherhood, through the exploration process, its facilitating factors and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: A longitudinal, quantitative method was used to investigate the vocational and maternal exploration processes. Workplace, spousal and family support served as facilitating factors, and vocational decisions and well-being as outcomes. Participants were 326 Israeli women during their transition to motherhood. Findings: SEM analysis revealed a good model fit to the data. Workplace support had a positive effect on maternal exploration. Increased maternal exploration was positively associated with keeping working patterns before motherhood, and negatively associated with well-being. Research limitations/implications: The sample of the current study was limited to highly educated Israeli working women. Practical implications: The results of the current study can serve career counselors policymakers and organizations in their efforts to encourage first-time mothers to retain their paid work patterns by supporting maternal exploration through creating family-friendly policies. Originality/value: The current findings have demonstrated that social support factors contribute to the enhancement of the exploration process also in later developmental stages. Furthermore, these findings showed differential effects of managerial support on maternal exploration and vocational exploration.
KW - Maternal exploration
KW - Transition to motherhood
KW - Vocational exploration
KW - Work-family integration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034867705&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/CDI-01-2017-0021
DO - 10.1108/CDI-01-2017-0021
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
AN - SCOPUS:85034867705
SN - 1362-0436
VL - 22
SP - 829
EP - 843
JO - Career Development International
JF - Career Development International
IS - 7
ER -