I am Loes Abrahams, Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Psychology at Tilburg University. My research focuses on intraindividual variability in work contexts (e.g., variability in personality, performance, …). To do so, I generally use experience sampling methodology and intend to include multiple rater sources whenever possible. A more recent research interest is the transition back to work after maternity leave for new parents and the challenges and dynamics that young working parents face more generally.
Project Title
The return to work after maternity leave (working title)
Societal transition(s) addressed
In light of the current shortage at the labor market, the Dutch government is actively promoting increased workforce participation. Notably, numerous parents, predominantly mothers, tend to decrease their working hours upon becoming parents. This project seeks to understand the challenges young working parents face, particularly during their reentry into the workforce following maternity leave and in the initial years after having a child. More specifically, the project intends to examine daily interactions between the work and home context, encompassing (but not limited to) aspects such as work-family conflict, supervisor and partner support, and the experiences of job and parental burnout. The ultimate goal is to identify ways to support working parents with young children and how their position at the labor market could be strengthened.
Systemic or behavioral change(s) addressed
This project aims to understand how to enhance the involvement of young mothers in the workforce, aligning with the Dutch government’s recent initiative to boost women’s workforce participation. Additionally, by identifying the primary obstacles hindering women from greater work involvement, the project aims to identify structural changes that could facilitate women’s active participation in the labor market.
Theoretical approach
Empirical research strategies
Experience sampling methodology, possibly combined with other longitudinal studies.
Possibilities for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration
The project could significantly benefit from collaboration with researchers in various fields, such as psychology, sociology, and economics.