Mulher, trabalho e maternidade: demandas no retorno da liçença maternidade

Abstract

Introduction: The return to work after maternity leave, the needs for balancing between work and family are exacerbated and can be a factor risk for the women’s health and her career. Objective: This study aims to understand the reality on the return to work after maternity leave. Method: The sample consisted of 49 female employees of a public higher education institution who were on maternity leave between the years 2013 to 2015. An online instrument with descriptive and multiple-choice questions was developed for data analysis. Results: The respondents stated that always or often thought about quitting work in order to stay only taking care of the baby (49.2%) felt tired (87.5%), overburdened (79.2%) with little time (85.4 %), and had difficulties with breastfeeding (55%). Negative feelings were expressed to describe return to work (70%), such as: anguish, fear, insecurity and sadness. Some fall in professional performance and fear when considering the possibility of being negatively evaluated by bosses were also mentioned. Conclusion: According to the findings it can be concluded that women feel vulnerable in returning to work after maternity leave, showing the need for practices and policies that support and protect women at this stage.