An analysis of occupational change and departure from the labor force - Evidence of the reasons that teachers leave

This paper examines both the timing of exits from the teaching profession and the reasons for these exits. Approximately 67 percent of exiting female teachers leave the work force altogether. The presence of a newborn child is the single most important determinant of exits for females. The paper discusses why studies of quit behavior that simply include a person's total number of children may fail to capture the true importance of fertility behavior on a female's quit decision. It also examines the return rates of departing teachers and compares the exit behavior of teachers to that of nonteachers.