Navigating the Return-to-Work Experience for New Parents

"What a fascinating book! As both a researcher and campaigner in this area, I welcome the way that the authors have pulled together a terrific mix of contributors from research, practice and policy, to tackle the issues faced by both mothers and fathers in returning to work after childbirth. We have so much to learn from the countries represented here." - Sue Vinnicombe, CBE, Professor of Women and Leadership, Cranfield University, UK

"Men and women participate more equally in the labor market than ever before in many parts of the world. This is probably one of the biggest societal changes to come about in the 20th century. Surprisingly, however, the realities and practicalities of such emancipated labor participation are not well studied, nor are they well understood. One of those realities and practicalities concerns having and raising children. Specifically, parents returning to work are an overlooked group. Fortunately, this book charts the territory and gives important pointers as to where to look, what to understand better, and what we can do. This edited collection of 12 chapters by a range of important scholars provides a wide overview of the issues involved. There is attention for stereotype threats, strategies that parents use, the special case of fathers, the career issues involved, and practices that organizations can offer, just to name a few of the topics addressed. The editors, Maria Karanika-Murray and Cary Cooper, expertly organized the materials and provided an inspiring introduction of the issue. They also added a final chapter that is rich in lessons learned and personal reflections. The bottom line appears to be that the issue requires a lot of maturity from parents, organizations, and governments alike: we all can and need to do our part. On a personal level, when reading this book, it is intriguing to see academics trying to get to grips with the challenge of parenting themselves within the current timeframe and context. I wish this book had been around when I first became a parent." - Marc van Veldhoven, Professor of Work, Health & Well-being,Tilburg University, The Netherlands