Graduation Term

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Kimberly Schneider

Committee Member

Eric Wesselmann

Abstract

Past research on parental leave has heavily focused on external backlash and the flexibility stigma, often utilizing hypothetical scenarios. The current study shifts this focus to the internal, lived experiences of returning parents, investigating how leave duration, gender, and corporate pay policies impact self-reported work commitment and subjective career success (SCS). Survey data were analyzed from a sample of employees (N = 129) who had recently returned to work following parental leave. Results show a significant negative relationship between leave duration and work commitment. However, gender did not moderate this relationship, nor did it moderate the relationship between leave duration and SCS, suggesting the impacts of extended leave is a universally shared experience. Further, while paid leave did not buffer the decrease of commitment over time, it yielded a significant main effect, effectively raising an employee’s baseline of both work commitment and perceived career success. Overall, these findings suggest that to sustain long-term commitment, organizations must couple financial compensation with targeted reintegration practices that address the psychological separation of leave.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

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