Women’s Work Supports, Job Retention, and Job Mobility: Child Care and Employer Provided Health Insurance Help Women Stay on Jobs

This research in brief presents selected findings from IWPR’s report “Work Supports, Job Retention, and Job Mobility Among Low-Income Mothers” by Dr. Sunhwa Lee. The findings indicate that low-income mothers have a high rate of job-turnover compared with higher-income mothers. Yet, low-income mothers who have health insurance coverage from their employers are significantly more likely to stay on their job than women who have other types of health insurance or no health insurance. Having a regular child care arrangement- whether it be relative care, non-relative care, or center based care- also helps job retention among low-income mothers with preschool children. For low-income mothers moving into a different job, having higher education helps them find a job that pays higher wages than their previous job.