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Fendel, Tanja & Beate Jochimsen (2023): Betreuungsgeld – familienpolitische Leistung oder Hindernis bei der Arbeitsmarktintegration? In: Wirtschaftsdienst, Jg. 103, H. 5, S. 309-313., 2023-05-10. DOI:10.2478/wd-2023-0096

Abstract

"Deutschland steuert seit einigen Jahren auf einen gravierenden Arbeits- und Fachkräftemangel zu. Dabei gibt es nach wie vor erhebliche geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede bei der Erwerbsbeteiligung. Die Bemühungen, die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen zu steigern, spielen eine zentrale Rolle. Dennoch gab es von 2013 bis 2015 in Deutschland ein bundesweites Betreuungsgeld für Eltern, die keine öffentliche Kinderbetreuung für Kinder im Alter von einem oder zwei Jahren in Anspruch nahmen. Auch nach 2015 gab es ein Betreuungsgeld oder vergleichbare Leistungen in mehreren Bundesländern. Es stellt sich die Frage, welchen Einfluss ein Betreuungsgeld auf die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Müttern hat." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Ferragina, Emanuele & Edoardo Magalini (2023): Maternal Employment and Childcare Use from an Intersectional Perspective: Stratification along Class, Contractual and Gender Lines in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK. In: Social Politics, Jg. 30, H. 3, S. 871-902. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxad021

Abstract

"Connecting streams of feminist and comparative social policy literature, this article investigates stratification in maternal employment and childcare use along class, contractual, and gender lines across six countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) and five family policy models. Detailing the different stratifying factors that intervene in the relation between maternal employment and childcare use offers a concrete analysis of the complex link between social reproduction and work. Employing multivariate regressions and EU-SILC (2007–2018) data, it provides an intersectional perspective to the literature. First, we observe a process of formalization in childcare use with a parallel reduction of nonformal care for couples; this process is slower for single mothers. Second, we document a paradox in relation to the social investment approach: the relation between childcare use and maternal employment is stronger in countries that recently expanded childcare to modify their male-breadwinner orientation, but in these countries childcare use is more stratified along class/contract types, a concern for the outcomes of social investment strategies outside of Scandinavia. Being out of work, being in a lower social class, fulfilling domestic tasks and/or care activities, and having an atypical contract negatively correlates with childcare use in most countries. Third, households where partners have more similar earning levels use childcare to a greater extent. The article also provides models employing different dependent and independent variables, alternative family structures, full and part-time work, formal and nonformal childcare, and rich country details." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fluchtmann, Jonas, Violetta van Veen & Willem Adema (2023): Fertility, employment and family policy: A cross-country panel analysis. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 299), Paris, 54 S. DOI:10.1787/326844f0-en

Abstract

"This paper analyses the association of labour market outcomes and family policies with fertility trends between 2002 and 2019 in 26 OECD countries. While the average age of mothers at birth of their children continued to increase over the entire period, these years have been marked by an initial catching-up of total fertility rates after marked declines in previous decades. Furthermore, after peaking in 2008, total fertility rates declined substantially, fueling concerns about demographic, economic and fiscal implications. Using panel data models and building on prior work, this paper links these changes in fertility outcomes to changes in the labour market position of men and women as well as with changes in family policies, such as parental leaves and early childhood education and care. This paper provides insights into the complex dynamics between family policies, employment and fertility, shedding light on the factors influencing overall population dynamics in OECD countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frodermann, Corinna, Katharina Wrohlich & Aline Zucco (2023): Parental Leave Policy and Long-run Earnings of Mothers. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 80, 2022-11-11. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102296

Abstract

"Paid parental leave schemes have been shown to increase women’s employment rates but to decrease their wages in case of extended leave duration. In view of these potential trade-offs, many countries are discussing the optimal design of parental leave policies. We analyze the impact of a major parental leave reform on mothers’ long-term earnings. The 2007 German parental leave reform replaced a means-tested benefit with a more generous earnings-related benefit that is granted for a shorter period of time. Additionally, a ”daddy quota” of two months was introduced. To identify the causal effect of this policy mix on long-run earnings of mothers, we use a difference-in-differences approach that compares labor market outcomes of mothers who gave birth just before and right after the reform and nets out seasonal effects by including the year before. Using administrative social security data, we confirm previous findings and show that the average duration of employment interruptions increased for mothers with high pre-birth earnings. Nevertheless, we find a positive long-run effect on earnings for mothers in this group. This effect cannot be explained by changes in the selection of working mothers, working hours or changes in employer stability. Descriptive evidence suggests that the stronger involvement of fathers, incentivized by the ”daddy months”, could have facilitated mothers’ re-entry into the labor market and thereby increased earnings. For mothers with low pre-birth earnings, however, we do not find beneficial long-run effects of this parental leave reform." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Elsevier) ((en))

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Fruttero, Anna, Diego B. P. Gomes & Nishtha Sharma (2023): Lawful Progress: Unveiling the Laws That Reshape Women's Work Decisions. (IMF working papers / International Monetary Fund 2023,252), Washington, DC, 28 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines the impact of women's legal rights on labor force participation decisions made by women and men through a granular analysis of 35 gendered laws. Building on previous literature, it departs from the analysis using aggregate indices due to concerns about (i) the usability of an index for policymaking purposes, (ii) the economic interpretation of an index's average marginal effects, (iii) and the implicit assumption of homogeneous effects underlying regressions with an index. The findings identify nine key laws that can foster female labor force participation. Notably, laws related to household dynamics and women's agency within the family, such as divorce and property rights laws, and laws regarding the ability of women to travel outside the home, are especially important in influencing their decision to work. The paper also shows that improving women's legal rights does not improve their labor force participation through a substitution effect as it has no systematic negative effect on men's labor force participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerst, Benedikt & Christian Grund (2023): Gender-Specific Duration of Parental Leave and Current Earnings. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 1, S. 215-235. DOI:10.1177/09500170221090163

Abstract

"Although male employees are increasingly making use of parental leave, gender differences in both usage and duration of parental leave are still prevalent. Based on signalling theory and the masculinities concept, the article explores the role of gender in the relationship between the incidence/duration of parental leave and wages/compensation after returning to a job. It is shown that pay gaps associated with parental leave are much more severe for male than they are for female middle managers in the German chemical industry." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ginja, Rita, Arizo Karimi & Pengpeng Xiao (2023): Employer Responses to Family Leave Programs. In: American Economic Journal. Applied Economics, Jg. 15, H. 1, S. 107-135. DOI:10.1257/app.20200448

Abstract

"Search frictions make worker turnover costly to firms. A three-month parental leave expansion in Sweden provides exogenous variation that we use to quantify firms' adjustment costs upon worker absence. The reform increased women's leave duration and likelihood of separating from pre-birth employers. Firms with greater exposure to the reform hired additional workers and increased coworkers to make it coworkers' hours, incurring wage costs corresponding to 10 full-time equivalent months in addition to replacing the workers. These adjustment costs varied by firms' availability of internal substitutes. We also analyze a daddy-month reform and find similar employer responses to male workers' leave, albeit smaller in magnitude." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Girsberger, Esther Mirjam, Lena Hassani-Nezhad, Kalaivani Karunanethy & Rafael Lalive (2023): Mothers at work: How mandating a short maternity leave affects work and fertility. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 84. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102364

Abstract

"Switzerland mandated a 14-week paid maternity leave in 2005 when many firms already offered a similar benefit. While the mandate had only small and temporary effects on labor market outcomes of first-time mothers, it raised the share of those having a second child by three percentage points. Women employed in firms with prior paid leave sharply increased their subsequent fertility. In contrast, women employed in other firms did not change their fertility behaviour, but instead saw a persistent increase in their earnings after birth. This pattern of results suggests that firms with pre-mandate leave passed on (some of) their resulting cost-savings to their employees – “trickle down effects” – by making their maternity leave more generous than mandated, hiring temporary replacement workers and/or supporting mothers’ return to work in other ways." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, ©2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Giuliani, Giovanni Amerigo & Nicola De Luigi (2023): In-work poverty and family policy in Italy: from a frozen to a thawing landscape? In: Community, work & family, S. 1-21. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2023.2282356

Abstract

"The article investigates in-work poverty (IWP) in Italy through the lens of family policies. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, the work scrutinizes whether and to what extent the configuration of family policy tools - family allowances, leave and ECEC (Early Childhood Care and Education) - has been effective in contrasting IWP in Italy. Furthermore, it probes whether the Italian family policy has reconfigured over time as a tool for countering IWP. The study shows that family policy can be useful both directly - by providing income support for the most disadvantaged families - and indirectly - by fostering the transition to a dual-earner family model. However, the analysis of the Italian case shows that such positive effects are only potential, and not automatic. In Italy, historically, family policy has been scarcely effective. Nevertheless, in the last few years a pattern of slow change has initiated, and its effectiveness as a device to tackle IWP appears to have increased." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hammermann, Andrea & Oliver Stettes (2023): Unternehmensmonitor Familienfreundlichkeit 2023. (Unternehmensmonitor Familienfreundlichkeit 2023), Berlin, 33 S.

Abstract

"Der Unternehmensmonitor Familienfreundlichkeit berichtet aus der Perspektive von Personalverantwortlichen und Beschäftigten, wie sich die Familienfreundlichkeit im Betrieb gestalten lässt, wie sie im Alltag gelebt werden kann und worauf es Beschäftigten mit unterschiedlichen Erwerbsbiografien und Lebenshintergründen ankommt. Das Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft setzt mit dem Unternehmensmonitor Familienfreundlichkeit 2023 die vom Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend geförderte Befragungsreihe fort. Die aktuelle Untersuchung unterstreicht den Stellenwert einer guten Vereinbarkeit für eine nachhaltige Strategie zur Fachkräftesicherung. Aufgrund der demografischen Entwicklung zeichnet sich in Deutschland seit Längerem eine Verknappung des Arbeitskräfteangebots ab. Sie ist schon heute in den Unternehmen spürbar. Dies belegt auch der Unternehmensmonitor Familienfreundlichkeit 2023: Drei von vier Unternehmen weisen hierzulande erhebliche Probleme auf, Fachkräfte zu rekrutieren. Fachkräfte- beziehungsweise Arbeitskräfteengpässe werden in vielen Bereichen zunehmend zum Hemmnis wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung (BA, 2023, Seite 14 ff.; Tiedemann/Malin, 2023). Neben einer zeitgemäßen Ausbildung, einer gezielten Weiterbildung und einem verstärkten Werben um ausländische Fachkräfte braucht es auch Lösungsansätze, mit denen das Potenzial an heimischen Arbeitskräften noch besser erschlossen werden kann (Bundesregierung, 2022). Wie (zeitliche) Konflikte zwischen familiären und beruflichen Verpflichtungen wahrgenommen werden, ist ein zentraler Einflussfaktor bei Entscheidungen von Menschen im Laufe ihrer gesamten Erwerbsbiografie, vom Berufs- bis zum Renteneintritt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hermes, Henning, Marina Krauß, Philipp Lergetporer, Frauke Peter & Simon Wiederhold (2023): Frühkindliche Betreuung erhöht den Arbeitsmarkterfolg von Müttern ohne Abitur. In: Wirtschaft im Wandel, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 52-55.

Abstract

"In den meisten Ländern wirkt sich die Geburt eines Kindes negativ auf den Arbeitsmarkterfolg von Müttern aus, insbesondere bei Müttern mit niedrigerem Schulabschluss. In diesem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse eines Feldexperiments in Deutschland vorgestellt, in dem Familien bei der Bewerbung für einen Platz in einer Kindertagesstätte (Kita) unterstützt wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der verbesserte Zugang zu frühkindlicher Betreuung die Wahrscheinlichkeit erhöht, dass Mütter ohne Abitur in Vollzeit arbeiten, und deren Haushaltseinkommen steigert. Um den Arbeitsmarkterfolg von Müttern zu verbessern, sollte die Politik den Zugang zu frühkindlicher Betreuung erleichtern und die Zahl der Kita-Plätze noch weiter erhöhen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hsiao, Hsinyi (2023): A cross-national study of family-friendly policies, gender egalitarianism, and work–family conflict among working parents. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 18. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0291127

Abstract

"Social policies impinge on daily lives of individuals and affect how they negotiate work and family demands. To fill in the void in the international work–family literature regarding whether public family-friendly policies effectively decrease work–family conflict the present study examined multilevel effects of family-friendly policies, organizational type, and family characteristics on working parents' work–family conflict by gender using random samples of 6,878 individuals in 24 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Drawn on role stress theory, gender egalitarianism, and institutional theory this study showed that parental leave policies have greater influence on work–family conflict among men compared to women. Individual dimensions of parental leave policies on men's experience of work–family conflict impinged on workplace characteristics and family characteristics. Implementing parental leave policies with high flexibility and higher rates of income replacement may help men with working spouses or who are employed in the public sector to reduce bidirectional conflicts between work and family. Women generally were not protected by individual dimensions of parental leave policies. Instead, societal attitudes towards gender played a key role in helping women reduce bidirectional conflicts between work and family roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Huber, Katrin & Geske Rolvering (2023): Public child care and mothers' career trajectories. (CEPA discussion papers / Center for Economic Policy Analysis 64), Potsdam, 33 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies the effect of public child care on mothers' career trajectories. To this end, we combine county-level data on child care coverage with detailed individual-level information from the German social security records and exploit a set of German reforms leading to a substantial temporal and spatial variation in child care coverage for children under the age of three. We conduct an event study approach that investigates the labor market outcomes of mothers in the years around the birth of their first child. We thereby explore career trajectories, both in terms of quantity and quality of employment. We find that public child care improves maternal labor supply in the years immediately following childbirth. However, the results on quality-related outcomes suggest that the effect of child care provision does not reach far beyond pure employment effects. These results do not change for mothers with different 'career costs of children'." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ilieva, Boryana (2023): Promotion Prospects and Within-level Wage Growth: A Decomposition of the Part-time Penalty for Women. (Discussion paper / Rationality & Competition, CCR TRR 190 457), München ; Berlin, 40 S.

Abstract

"I study the life-cycle pattern of part-time employment and its impact on wage growth in female careers. I show that the part-time wage penalty consists of two essential components: i) a penalty for promotions and ii) a within-career-level wage penalty. Using dynamic structural modeling, I quantify the relative importance of the channels. The penalty for working half a day for two consecutive years in one's early thirties is one Euro per hour. 70% of it is due to slowdowns in experience accumulation within career levels. A part-time spell of four years marks the point at which forgone chances of promotion and within-level wage losses contribute to the wage penalty to an equal degree. Counterfactual simulations demonstrate that financial incentives to increase the time spent working can be well complemented by policies which ensure that experienced young women are promoted early in their careers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ivandić, Ria & Anne Sophie Lassen (2023): Gender gaps from labor market shocks. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 83. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102394

Abstract

"Job loss leads to persistent adverse labor market outcomes, but assessments of gender differences in labor market recovery are lacking. We utilize plant closures in Denmark to estimate gender gaps in labor market outcomes and document that women face an increased risk of unemployment and lose a larger share of their earnings in the two years following job displacement. The majority of the gender gap in unemployment remains after accounting for observable differences in human capital across men and women. In a standard decomposition framework, we document that child care imposes an important barrier to women’s labor market recovery regardless of individual characteristics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

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Jozwiak, Andreas (2023): Constrained 'choices': Optional familism and educational divides in work-family arrangements. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 57, H. 5, S. 700-726. DOI:10.1111/spol.12901

Abstract

"German family policy was dramatically reformed in the 2000s because of dual reforms to parental leave and childcare provision. While considerable evidence has suggested the reforms affected employment and other outcomes, this article asks what the consequences of these reforms are for the family, specifically for patterns of work-family arrangements. Moreover, it asks how education matters for work-family arrangements post-reform. Using German Socio-Economic Panel data, I show that college-educated mothers giving birth to their first child after the reforms earned roughly half of household income if they benefited from expanded local childcare access. By contrast, in areas with lower childcare availability, even among the college-educated, mothers' earnings resemble pre-reform patterns, where mothers earn between a quarter to a third of household income. Therefore, the reforms contributed to greater differences in family structures based on the education. One interpretation of these findings is that the status reproducing nature of the Continental welfare states has recalibrated for the modern age, de-gendered for those with the greatest labour market returns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Juncke, David, Claire Samtleben & Evelyn Stoll (2023): Väterreport 2023. Entwicklungen und Daten zur Vielfalt der Väter in Deutschland. (Väterreport ... / Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend), Berlin, 74 S.

Abstract

"Der neue Väterreport zeigt, dass sich Väter viel stärker als früher eine partnerschaftlich organisierte Aufgabenteilung in der Familie wünschen. Jeder zweite Vater möchte gern die Hälfte der Betreuung übernehmen. Tatsächlich gelingt dies nur jedem fünften Vater. Die Lücke zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit ist noch immer groß. Der Väterreport beschreibt auf Basis amtlicher Statistiken, wissenschaftlicher Studien und repräsentativer Bevölkerungsbefragungen die Lebenslagen, Werte und Einstellungen von Vätern in Deutschland." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Juncke, David & Axel Plünnecke (2023): Das Elterngeld: Ziele, Wirkungen und Perspektiven. (Policy paper / Prognos AG), Berlin, 8 S.

Abstract

"Wie wirkt sich das Elterngeld auf die Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf aus? Wie auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot und wo kann es weiterentwickelt werden? Diesen Fragen widmeten sich Prognos und das Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) in ihrem gemeinsamen Papier „Das Elterngeld: Ziele, Wirkungen und Perspektiven“. Es zeigt: Mit dem Elterngeld gehen eine steigende Müttererwerbstätigkeit und eine vermehrte Beteiligung der Väter an der Kinderbetreuung einher. Reformen des Elterngeldes sollten auf dessen Weiterentwicklung ausgerichtet werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Keller, Matthias & Thomas Körner (2023): Closing the gap? Erwerbstätigkeit und Arbeitszeit von Müttern und Vätern nach 15 Jahren Elterngeld. In: Wirtschaft und Statistik, Jg. 75, H. 4, S. 88-101.

Abstract

"Erwerbsbeteiligung und Arbeitszeiten von Müttern und Vätern unterscheiden sich stark; das ist einer der Hauptgründe für die geringeren Verdienste von Frauen im Vergleich zu Männern. Wie sich die Erwerbstätigkeit und die Aufteilung der Arbeitszeit von Müttern und Vätern seit dem Jahr 2005 entwickelt haben, insbesondere seit der Einführung des Elterngelds im Jahr 2007, hat das Statistische Bundesamt auf Grundlage von Ergebnissen des Mikrozensus untersucht. Im Mittelpunkt stehen hierbei die Erwerbskonstellationen von Paaren mit und ohne Kinder. Ergebnisse zur Erwerbssituation alleinerziehender Mütter und Väter ergänzen die Analyse." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden)

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Kim, Yeonjin & Åsa Lundqvist (2023): Parental Leave Reforms in South Korea, 1995–2021: Policy Translation and Institutional Legacies. In: Social Politics, Jg. 30, H. 4, S. 1113-1136. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxad008

Abstract

"This article aims to explore how policy translation and institutional legacies have shaped South Korean parental leave policies between 1995 and 2021. It draws on a document analysis of central political documents and interviews with a number of key policy actors in South Korea. The findings show that reforms of parental leave policies were implemented according to four major rationales: maternity protection; combating low-fertility rates; (working mothers’) work–family life reconciliation; and, finally, men's involvement in childcare. Swedish parental leave policies, especially the introduction of the quota system (the “daddy month”), served as inspiration. The current design of Korean parental leave differs, however, from that of Sweden, and is analyzed as a result of localized reforms surrounding plummeting fertility rates and institutional legacies, mainly connected to the organization of the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kleinschrot, Leonie (2023): Gender Norms under Socialism and Capitalism: A Historical Examination of Attitudes towards Maternal Employment in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 48. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2023-07

Abstract

"Research on the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the 1980s shows a high level of congruence between conservative social policy deterring mothers from employment and traditional societal gender norms. In contrast, little is known about whether people in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) agreed with the socialist idea of continuous full-time maternal employment. Based on unexploited GDR data from 1984 and a description of contemporary social policy, this study examines attitudes towards maternal employment, whether they were related to individual preferences for work or children, and their congruence with the socialist policy. The same questions are examined for the FRG using data from 1982. Results for the GDR indicate that one third of respondents rejected the socialist idea of maternal full-time employment, with individual work preferences being decisive for respondents’ assessments. In the FRG, there was a high degree of agreement with the gender norm of maternal non-employment, with this being dependent on individual preferences for children. These findings complement post-reunification evidence on East-West-differences in gender norms and provide insights into attitudes under Eastern European state socialism. * This article belongs to a special issue on “Demographic Developments in Eastern and Western Europe Before and After the Transformation of Socialist Countries”." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kowalewska, Helen (2023): Gendered employment patterns: Women's labour market outcomes across 24 countries. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 151-168. DOI:10.1177/09589287221148336

Abstract

"An accepted framework for ‘gendering’ the analysis of welfare regimes compares countries by degrees of ‘defamilialization’ or how far their family policies support or undermine women’s employment participation. This article develops an alternative framework that explicitly spotlights women’s labour market outcomes rather than policies. Using hierarchical clustering on principal components, it groups 24 industrialized countries by their simultaneous performance across multiple gendered employment outcomes spanning segregation and inequalities in employment participation, intensity, and pay, with further differences by class. The three core ‘worlds’ of welfare (social-democratic, corporatist, liberal) each displays a distinctive pattern of gendered employment outcomes. Only France diverges from expectations, as large gender pay gaps across the educational divide – likely due to fragmented wage-bargaining – place it with Anglophone countries. Nevertheless, the outcome-based clustering fails to support the idea of a homogeneous Mediterranean grouping or a singular Eastern European cluster. Furthermore, results underscore the complexity and idiosyncrasy of gender inequality: while certain groups of countries are ‘better’ overall performers, all have their flaws. Even the Nordics fall behind on some measures of segregation, despite narrow participatory and pay gaps for lower- and high-skilled groups. Accordingly, separately monitoring multiple measures of gender inequality, rather than relying on ‘headline’ indicators or gender equality indices, matters." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lee, Cheol-Sung & Taekyeong Goh (2023): Union brokerage and the gender gap in the labor market. A cross-national comparative study of associational networks and gendered labor force participation in OECD countries. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 64, H. 1, S. 22-56. DOI:10.1177/00207152221108139

Abstract

"This article explores the role of union-centered brokerage in promoting women’s labor force participation in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for the last three decades. Using two measures of brokerage, a union’s core brokerage role, and its general brokerage role, we attempted to capture the processes by which union activists mobilize and extend women’s rights in associational fields. Then, we tested our key argument that union-centered brokerage plays the most effective role among the different brokerage types in channeling women’s interests by transforming them into wider class-linked or cross-class concerns. Cross-national and comparative case studies demonstrate that union-led brokerage promotes greater presence of women in the economy. Our findings revealed that, when controlling for economic, regional, and cultural factors, both types of brokerage roles impact women’s participation in the labor market and their participation compared to that of men. The overall findings underscore the importance of creating and utilizing solidarity structures through effective channeling mechanisms in civic associational fields between labor-based organizations and other reform-oriented civic groups in achieving egalitarian socioeconomic goals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lindahl, Erica, Olof Rosenqvist & Hakan Selin (2023): Gender-targeted transfers by default? - Evidence from a child allowance reform in Sweden. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 83. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102389

Abstract

"We exploit a sharp birthday discontinuity in a large and universal Swedish cash transfer program, creating plausibly exogenous variation in the default disbursement option, while holding entitlements and other financial incentives constant. When the cash transfer is paid out to the mother by default, instead of a 50/50 default, it has a large effect (55 percentage points) on the probability that the transfer is deposited in the mother's bank account also in the long run. Surprisingly, we find that the default policy redistributes resources to separated low-income mothers. We find no indications that the 100%-to-the-mother default induces mothers to work less or to take more responsibility for the children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

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Lott, Yvonne (2023): Working longer with working-time flexibility. Only when job commitment is high and family commitment is low? In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 35, S. 372-392. DOI:10.20377/jfr-852

Abstract

"Objective: This study investigates (a) whether job commitment and family commitment moderate the positive association between flexible working-time arrangements and work hours, and (b) whether childless women and men and mothers and fathers with the same levels of job and family commitment work equally long hours with flexible working-time arrangements. Background: As working-time flexibility increases at many workplaces due to digital technologies and work overload, so too does the risk of working longer hours. Although previous research has neglected job and family commitment as potential moderators of the relationship between working-time flexibility and long working hours, it has found gender inequalities in working hours among employees with flexible working-time arrangements, which have been attributed inter alia to men’s higher commitment to work and lower commitment to family. Method: Multivariate analyses were conducted based on German Family Panel (pairfam) data for 2018, 2019, and 2020. The sample comprised data from 4,568 employee-years, 1,666 part-time employee-years, and 2,902 full-time employee-years. Results: Among full-time employees, only those with high job commitment and low family commitment worked longer hours with employer-driven flexibility and working-time autonomy. Mothers with these arrangements worked fewer hours than childless women, childless men, and fathers, unless they had the same levels of job and family commitment as the latter three groups. Conclusion: These results suggest, first, that among full-time employees with flexible working-time arrangements, job and family commitment are driving factors for working long hours; second, that gender differences in work hours are shaped by parental status; and third, that these differences are due, at least in part, to differences in connectedness to job and family roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mazar, Yuval & Yaniv Reingewertz (2023): The effect of child allowances on female labour supply: evidence from Israel. In: Economica, Jg. 90, H. 359, S. 882-910. DOI:10.1111/ecca.12467

Abstract

"This study estimates the effect of the sharp reduction in Israel's child allowances in the early 2000s on female labour supply. The study uses the difference-in-differences method to estimate changes in the labour supply of Israeli women with more children (four or five) compared to changes in the labour supply of women with fewer children (two or three). The results show an increase of approximately 3.1 percentage points (4.4%) in the labour supply of women with four or five children, relative to that of women with two or three children. These numbers translate to an income elasticity of labour supply in the range −0.50 to −0.81. Finally, we document the heterogeneity of these effects and provide several tests of their validity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Nicoletti, Cheti, Kjell Salvanes & Emma Tominey (2023): Mothers Working during Preschool Years and Child Skills: Does Income Compensate? In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 41, H. 2, S. 389-429. DOI:10.1086/719688

Abstract

"Increasing mothers’ labour supply in a child’s preschool years may reduce time investments, yielding a negative direct effect on mid-childhood and teenage outcomes. But as mothers’ work hours increase, income will rise. Can income compensate for the negative effect of hours? Our mediation analysis exploits exogenous variation in both mothers’ hours and family income. Results suggest a negative, insignificant direct effect from increasing mother’s hours on child test scores. However the positive mediating effect of income creates a positive total effect on test scores of 26% of a standard deviation for 10-hours increase in mothers weekly hours in preschool years." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ohlert, Clemens (2023): Auswirkungen des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns auf Geschlechterungleichheiten bei Arbeitszeiten und Verdiensten. In: Soziale Welt, Jg. 74, H. 4, S. 562-588. DOI:10.5771/0038-6073-2023-4-562

Abstract

"Der Aufsatz geht der Frage nach, ob die Einführung des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns zu einer Reduzierung von Geschlechterungleichheiten nicht nur bei Stundenlöhnen, sondern auch bei Arbeitszeiten und monatlichen Verdiensten beigetragen hat. Anhand der Verdienststrukturerhebung 2014 und der Verdiensterhebung 2015 wurden ein Panel-Datensatz generiert und Differenz-in-Differenzen-Analysen auf der Betriebsebene durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine bis zu 3,6 Prozentpunkte stärkere Reduzierung des durchschnittlichen Gender Pay Gap der Stundenlöhne in vom Mindestlohn betroffenen Betrieben als in nicht betroffenen Betrieben. Die Stundenlohneffekte des Mindestlohns auf Frauen und Männer im Niedriglohnbereich fielen jedoch gleich hoch aus. Zudem ergäbe sich keine Verringerung des Gender Pay Gap durch den Mindestlohn, wenn Frauen und Männer gleich auf Vollzeit-, Teilzeit- und geringfügige Beschäftigung verteilt wären. Der Gender Time Gap verringerte sich in vom Mindestlohn betroffenen Betrieben im Durchschnitt um rund 2,4 Prozentpunkte und für Beschäftigte im Niedriglohnbereich um rund 3,9 Prozentpunkte stärker als in nicht betroffenen Betrieben. Durch den Mindestlohn kam es zu einer deutlichen Verringerung des durchschnittlichen Gender Earnings Gap der monatlichen Bruttoverdienste. Dieser reduzierte sich in vom Mindestlohn betroffenen Betrieben bei Betrachtung aller Beschäftigten um bis zu 6,1 Prozentpunkte und bei Niedriglohnbeschäftigten um bis zu 4,6 Prozentpunkte stärker als in nicht betroffenen Betrieben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Philipp, Marie-Fleur, Silke Büchau, Pia S. Schober & C. Katharina Spieß (2023): Parental Leave Policies, Usage Consequences, and Changing Normative Beliefs: Evidence From a Survey Experiment. In: Gender & Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 493-523. DOI:10.1177/08912432231176084

Abstract

"In this study, we conceptualize and provide novel empirical evidence on norm-setting effects of family policies by investigating how priming with parental leave policy–related information may alter normative beliefs regarding the gender division of parental leave in Germany. We implemented a survey experiment in two waves of the representative German GESIS Panel in 2019 and 2020. Respondents received one of three short evidence-based information primers about (1) long-term income risks of maternal employment interruptions, (2) nonsignificant paternal wage penalties, or (3) increasing rates of paternal leave usage in Germany, or were allocated to the control group that received no further information before rating the division of parental leave in fictitious couples. We apply ordinary least squares regression models with lagged dependent variables to a sample of 5,362 vignette evaluations nested in 1,548 respondents. Remarkably, we find that the effects of all three priming conditions vary significantly depending on whether respondents are asked to judge situations for couples where women earn more or less than their partners. Our findings mostly point to stronger effects of priming with information on income risks compared with paternal leave usage trends and to more pronounced changes in normative beliefs among childless respondents." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Philipp, Marie-Fleur, Silke Büchau & Pia Schober (2023): Who should scale back? Experimental evidence on employer support for part-time employment and working hours norms for couples with young children. (SocArXiv papers), 54 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/k4275

Abstract

"This experimental study investigates how hypothetical employer support for part-time work shapes working hours norms for mothers and fathers with young children in Germany. It extends previous studies by focusing on the couple context, for instance by exploring interdependencies with each partner’s earnings potential. The analysis is framed using capability-based explanations combined with a perspective of gender as a social structure. A factorial survey experiment was implemented within the German pairfam panel. OLS and multinomial logistic regressions with cluster-robust standard errors were conducted with 5,565 respondents. Hypothetical employer support similarly increases respondents’ recommendations to reduce working hours for mothers and fathers and supports dual part-time arrangements. In couples who face opposing incentives in terms of promotion prospects and employer support for part-time work, prevailing gender norms seem to reinforce the traditionalizing constraints and attenuate the de-traditionalizing influence. Respondents with more egalitarian gender beliefs respond more strongly to paternal employer support." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sandner, Malte & Laurenz Bärtsch (2023): Reducing the Child Penalty by Incentivizing Part-Time Work? Evidence from a Paid Parental Leave Reform in Germany. (VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage"), Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association 48 S.

Abstract

"Worldwide governments discuss how to increase maternal labor market participation and to reduce the child penalty after birth. This study analyses a German paid parental leave reform, which aims to increase maternal labor market participation and to reduce the child penalty by financially incentivising maternal part-time work during the two years following child birth. Using German social security records, we exploit the fact that only mothers whose child is born in or after July 2015 are eligible for the new part-time PL option in a Difference-in-Differences strategy. We find that the policy increased the probability that high income mothers return to work during the first year after child birth by 3pp (≈ 15%). However, the policy does not impact maternal employment along the intensive margin (part-time or full-time work) in the long run, leaving maternal labor market participation and the child penalty unaffected." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sandner, Malte & Frederik Wiynck (2023): The Fertility Response to Cutting Child-Related Welfare Benefits. In: Population Research and Policy Review, Jg. 42, H. 2, 2022-12-12. DOI:10.1007/s11113-023-09757-3

Abstract

"Bereits seit langer Zeit wird untersucht, ob Sozialleistungen die Fertilität anregen. Dennoch ist die Forschung bisher nicht konsistent. Dieses Papier trägt zu ebendieser Debatte bei, indem es den Fertilitätseffekt einer deutschen Sozialleistungsreform untersucht. Die Reform verringerte das Haushaltseinkommen von Familien mit Sozialhilfebezug um 18 Prozent im ersten Jahr nach Geburt ihres Kindes. Die Analyse exklusiver Sozialversicherungsdaten von über 460.000 betroffenen Frauen ergibt, dass die Reform zu einer Verringerung der Fertilität von 6,8 Prozent führt. Dieses Ergebnis legt nahe, dass für sozialhilfebeziehende Mütter Fertilität eine Einkommenselastizität von 0,38 hat. Das ist wesentlich kleiner als in bisherigen Untersuchungen zur Gesamtbevölkerung angenommen. Unsere Befunde lassen darauf schließen, dass die Fertilität von Sozialhilfeempfängern weniger stark auf finanzielle Anreize reagiert, als die der Gesamtbevölkerung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schechtl, Manuel (2023): The Taxation of Families: How Gendered (De)Familialization Tax Policies Modify Horizontal Income Inequality. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 52, H. 1, S. 63-84. DOI:10.1017/S0047279421000404

Abstract

"A welfare state’s tax system does not solely redistribute from rich to poor (vertical) but also between family types (horizontal). Different types of families are treated differently due to gendered (de)familialization policies in the tax code, such as joint filing for spouses or single-parent relief. In this study I aim to examine the tax system’s modification of horizontal income inequality between the six most prevalent family types of non-retiree households. To answer my research aim I draw on harmonized data from 30 countries provided by the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS). I estimate pre- and post-fiscal income inequality measured as between-family-type Theil indices. Using multivariate linear regression, I examine the association of the percentage change in inequality and the prevalence of family type-related tax characteristics. The results show that welfare states with familialization tax policies reduce less horizontal income inequality compared to welfare states without familialization tax policies. As familialization tax policies provide additional benefits for breadwinners with dependents, they discourage labour market participation of secondary earners and might exacerbate gender inequalities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Scherer, Stefani & Emmanuele Pavolini (2023): Equalizing or not? Public childcare and women's labour market participation. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 436-450. DOI:10.1177/09589287231183169

Abstract

"Within the scientific literature and debate on social investment, public childcare provision plays a pivotal role. At the same time, critics have argued that social investment is often unable to reduce social inequalities and, to the contrary, tends to reproduce them (the so-called ‘Matthew effect’). The article focuses on a specific facet of social investment policies: their capacity to support mothers’ employment and its effect on social inequality, by investigating empirically to what extent an expansion of public childcare can help to increase women’s labour market participation and how this eventual support is homogenously distributed among different mothers’ profiles. To give a convincing answer to such a question requires careful attention to methodology, in order to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions. Whereas existing research has predominately focused on cross-national variation and has often been static in nature, the present study assesses the effects of public childcare expansion on women’s labour market participation and employment by examining region-specific within-variation over time of public childcare coverage. The study relies on data from the European Social Survey (2002–2018) that were integrated with an original collection of regional-level information on public childcare. It finds a positive association between increases in public childcare coverage and mothers’ labour market participation. Furthermore, it shows that public childcare helps to fight social inequalities among households with young children. Low-educated mothers are the ones who profit most from an increase in public childcare, and positive employment effects are most pronounced at lower levels of childcare coverage. Therefore, this contribution highlights the importance of public childcare policies as an equalizer in society, especially in contexts in which an intervention is most needed, because expanding childcare fosters mothers’ labour market participation" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Seo, Hyojin (2023): Gendered labour market patterns across Europe: Does family policy mitigate feminization of outsiders? In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 1, S. 3-16. DOI:10.1177/09589287221148916

Abstract

"Studies have shown positive impact of family policies on women’s labour market participation over the last decades. How, then, does it influence the types of jobs women obtain when they (re-)enter the labour market? Using multi-level modelling, this study examines how different work–family balance policies (that is, leave policies, childcare services) shape gendered labour market patterns and whether or not it mitigates women’s overrepresentation among the labour market Outsiders across Europe. I use European Working Conditions Survey 2015 data and cover 30 European countries. Specifically focusing on women’s relative likelihood of being labour market Outsiders compared to men, I find that certain policies help women avoid being Outsiders, while the others may reinforce the existing gender inequality in the labour market. This resonates with the welfare state paradox and family policy trade-off literature that the policies that do not disrupt the gender norms may in turn maintain or enhance them." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sievers, Tjorven (2023): Enabled but not transformed – narratives on parental involvement among first-time mothers and fathers in Germany in the context of parental leave policy design. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 26, H. 3, S. 356-372. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2022.2099248

Abstract

"Assuming that policy design can impact gender equity in caretaking, this paper examines how expectant mothers and fathers understand and respond to specific parental leave policy elements when shaping their parenting practices. Taking Germany as a case study, this research draws on semi-structured interviews conducted between October 2019 and March 2020 with 18 couples, who were expecting their first child at the time of the interview. Germany’s parental leave policy has shifted substantially since 2007, most notably with the establishment of non-transferable parental leave months for fathers. Exploring the link between policy design at the macro-level and parental involvement at the micro-level, this paper focuses on how mothers and fathers make sense of their leave entitlements when dividing leave, which (policy) aspects they consider as helping or hindering an equal leave division and how mothers and fathers anticipate using parental leave benefits. Results indicate that the current parental leave policy design enables greater equity in caretaking by normalizing some leave-taking by fathers. However, by providing an option for fathers’ leaves to be split and to be taken concurrently with mothers the policy limits fathers’ solo parenting responsibility and consequently prevents a transformation of gendered parenting practices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sorg, Heiko, Mahsa Bagheri, Jan Ehlers, Jörg Hauser, Daniel Johannes Tilkorn, Irini Helena Leifeld, PaulChristian Fuchs & Christian Günter Georg Sorg (2023): Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf in der Medizin: vom großen Wunsch und wenig Berücksichtigung. In: Das Gesundheitswesen, Jg. 85, H. 6, S. 505-513. DOI:10.1055/a-1813-8182

Abstract

"Familienleben und die Berufsausübung sind für junge Ärztinnen und Ärzte hohe Güter. Entsprechend ist eine gute Vereinbarkeit beider Lebensbereiche wichtig. Trotz seit Jahren gegebener politischer Rahmenbedingungen und gesetzlicher Ansprüche, scheint die Umsetzung gerade in der Medizin nicht einfach zu sein und mit großen Vorbehalten und Problemen der Beteiligten verbunden. Mittels einer Online-Befragung wurde der medizinische Mittelbau aus universitären und peripheren Krankenhäusern zu Themen rund um Familie, Kinder und berufsbiographischen sowie karriererelevanten Themen befragt und anschließend genderspezifisch analysiert. Die Studienteilnehmenden waren zu 65,1% verheiratet und hatten bereits Kinder bzw. äußerten einen Kinderwunsch (86,0%). Die meisten waren in Vollzeit (80,8%) beschäftigt. Der überwiegende Anteil der Teilzeitbeschäftigten war weiblich (87,4%). Bei 34,6% lag eine zeitliche Unterbrechung von 18,5±21,3 Monate in der Karriere vor, welche zu 87,8% aufgrund von Schwangerschaft oder Kindern genommen wurden. Ärztinnen nehmen im Allgemeinen deutlich mehr Elternzeit in Anspruch als Ärzte (6–12 Monate: Frauen 62,2%; Männer 22,4%; 12 Monate und mehr: Frauen 25,2%; Männer 6,6%). Die Familienplanung wird durch Vorgesetzte nur wenig unterstützt (21,2% viel bis sehr viel Unterstützung) und 45,6% geben an, Probleme mit deren Rückkehr in den Beruf bzw. dem beruflichen Weiterkommen erlebt zu haben. Bei knapp 60% der Teilnehmenden bestehen im eigenen Krankenhaus keine spezifischen Arbeitszeitmodelle für Mitarbeitende mit betreuungspflichtigen Kindern. Für die Umsetzung der Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf bei Ärztinnen und Ärzten sind in erster Linie Änderungen auf Seiten des Unternehmens notwendig. Zusätzlich müssen die jeweiligen Vorgesetzten umdenken, um eine Parallelisierung dieser beiden Lebensbereiche ihrer Mitarbeitenden zu ermöglichen. Jedoch müssen auch die jungen Ärztinnen und Ärzte ihre Sicht auf dieses Thema überdenken. Nur die reine Forderung zur Veränderung arbeitsrechtlicher Umstände bei Fortführung traditioneller Familienkonstellationen zu Hause, scheint diesem Thema in der heutigen Zeit nicht mehr gerecht zu werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Uemura, Yuki (2023): The Impacts of Family Policies on Labor Supply, Fertility, and Social Welfare. (KIER discussion paper series 1100), Kyoto, 40 S.

Abstract

"We quantitatively examine the impacts of family policies on labor supply, fertility, and social welfare in a heterogeneous agent overlapping-generations (OLG) economy. We extend a standard incomplete-market OLG model with married and single households by incorporating parental decisions on the number of children, child care, education spending, and time allocation between market work, parental care, and leisure. We use this extended model to examine the possible impacts of four major family policies: child subsidies, child care subsidies, education subsidies, and income tax deductions for dependent children. The results of all four policies suggest a tradeoff between fertility rates and female labor supply, although the individual effects of each policy on households and the macroeconomy differ significantly. Child care subsidies raise female labor supply but lower fertility rates. By contrast, child subsidies, education subsidies, and income tax deductions reduce female labor supply but raise fertility rates. Child care subsidies improve overall welfare the most among the four policies. This is because increased labor supply and a decrease in the number of children raise the consumption level in the long run, while lowering policy costs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wrohlich, Katharina & Aline Zucco (2023): 15 Jahre Elterngeld. Auswirkungen und Reformoptionen. (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung. Working paper Forschungsförderung 281), Düsseldorf, 22 S.

Abstract

"Am 1. Januar 2007 wurde in Deutschland das Elterngeld eingeführt. Zahlreiche empirische Studien haben gezeigt, dass dessen Ziele insofern erreicht wurden, als sich die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Müttern ab dem zweiten Lebensjahr des Kindes erhöht hat. Wir zeigen zudem, dass das Elterngeld den Verdienst von Müttern positiv beeinflusst hat. Das Elterngeld beinhaltet also das Potenzial, Geschlechterungleichheiten am Arbeitsmarkt zu reduzieren. Dieses Potenzial kann jedoch noch ausgebaut werden, etwa durch eine Erhöhung der Zahl der Partnermonate." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Zainzinger, Julia (2023): Väterkarenz in Österreich – eine Typologie. In: SWS-Rundschau, Jg. 63, H. 4, S. 386-402.

Abstract

"Der Beitrag befasst sich mit der Inanspruchnahme von Väterkarenz in Österreich. Mit Hilfe der Daten des von L & R Sozialforschung durchgeführten Wiedereinstiegsmonitorings im Zeitraum 2006–2018 werden Karenzväter auf Basis der Art der Inanspruchnahme typisiert. Im Wesentlichen kristallisieren sich dabei vier unterschiedliche Typen von Karenzvätern heraus. Diese werden als Teilzeit-Karenzväter, Kurzzeit-Karenzväter, fortgeschrittene Karenzväter und Langzeit-Karenzväter bezeichnet. Eine genauere Analyse zeigt einerseits, dass sich diese Typen in Bezug auf ihre soziodemografischen Merkmale unterscheiden. Andererseits kommt die Forschung zu dem Schluss, dass Ansätze der Verhaltensökonomie für Menschen mit hohem Einkommen und Ausbildung bei der Wahl von Teilzeit-Karenzen durch Männer aus kleineren Betrieben und bei längerer Karenzdauer von Vätern, die seltener erwerbstätig sind, eine Rolle zu spielen. Die Opportunitätskosten-Theorie schlägt sich bei Vätern mit niedrigem Einkommen, die ebenfalls längere Karenzzeiten aufweisen, nieder. Die Ergebnisse sollen helfen, potenzielle Zielgruppen für Väterkarenz zu identifizieren und Strategien zu definieren, um die Inanspruchnahme von Väterkarenz zu erhöhen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Ziegler, Lennart & Omar Bamieh (2023): What Drives Paternity Leave: Financial Incentives or Flexibility? (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 15890), Bonn, 33 S.

Abstract

"Despite changing gender norms, few fathers decide to take parental leave after the birth of a child, and when they do, their leave spells are substantially shorter compared to mothers. This study examines how paternal leave-taking is affected by two key features of leave policies: flexibility in leave duration and financial incentives. To disentangle their impact, we exploit recent changes to the Austrian parental leave system, which initially offered flat monthly benefits for 36 months after childbirth. The first reform added considerably shorter leave options; the second reform introduced income-dependent benefits, increasing net income replacement rates to 80 percent. Using a regression discontinuity design based on eligibility cutoff dates, we find that both reforms had a strong impact on leave take-up of fathers. The availability of shorter leave options increased leave-taking by 23 percent, while the introduction of income-dependent benefits raised take-up by another 13 percent relative to pre-reform means. Despite these increases, the share of leave taken by fathers relative to mothers remained similar. Comparing the impact of the two reforms across different income groups, we conclude that higher flexibility is more effective than stronger financial compensation in raising the number of leave-taking fathers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zimmermann, Florian & Matthias Collischon (2023): Do Organizational Policies Narrow Gender Inequality? Novel Evidence from Longitudinal Employer-Employee Data. In: Sociological Science, Jg. 10, S. 47-81., 2022-10-29. DOI:10.15195/v10.a2

Abstract

"Scholars have long proposed that gender inequalities in wages are narrowed by organizational policies to advance gender equality. Using cross-sectional data, scarce previous research has found an association between gender wage inequalities and these organizational policies, but it remains unclear whether this correlation represents a causal effect. We provide first evidence on this topic by using longitudinal linked employer–employee data covering almost 1,500 firms and nearly one million employee observations in Germany. We investigate whether and how organizational policies affect gender gaps using firm fixed-effects regressions. Our results show that organizational policies reduce the gender wage gap by around nine percent overall. Investigating channels, we show that this effect is entirely driven by advancing women already employed at a given firm, whereas we find no effect on firms’ composition and wages of new hires. Furthermore, we show that our findings are not driven by potential sources of bias, such as reverse causality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Albrecht, Clara, Elena Herold & Jennifer Steigmeier (2022): Die langfristigen Folgen von ehelicher Spezialisierung bei Scheidung. In: Ifo-Schnelldienst, Jg. 75, H. 10, S. 41-46.

Abstract

"Bei einem Großteil der deutschen Ehepaare herrscht eine traditionelle Arbeitsteilung vor, in der der Mann Hauptverdiener ist, während die Ehefrau ihre Arbeitszeit reduziert und sich auf den Haushalt konzentriert. In der Familienökonomik wird diese Spezialisierung mit durch komparative Vorteile entstehenden Effizienzgewinnen begründet. Es bleibt jedoch unberücksichtigt, dass damit für den*die Zweitverdiener*in, im Falle einer Ehescheidung, als Folge der Haushaltsspezialisierung, Humankapitalverluste einhergehen, die zu einer verschlechterten Arbeitsmarktposition führen und somit langfristige negative finanzielle Konsequenzen haben. Dieses finanzielle Risiko wurde durch die Unterhaltsreform von 2008 insbesondere für alleinerziehende geschiedene Mütter verstärkt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Albrecht, Clara & Britta Rude (2022): Wo steht Deutschland 2022 bei der Gleichstellung der Geschlechter? (im Erscheinen). In: Ifo-Schnelldienst H. 07.03.2022, S. 1-11.

Abstract

"Deutschland hat in vielen Bereichen der Gleichberechtigung zwischen Mann und Frau in den letzten Jahrzehnten Fortschritte gemacht. Allerdings ist es in allen Dimensionen immer noch weit hinter den besten europäischen Ländern zurück. Vor allem hat sich die Anzahl der Frauen in Führungspositionen in Politik, Wirtschaft und Unternehmen kaum vergrößert. Auch in der unbezahlten Fürsorge und in der tertiären Bildung gibt es großen Handlungsbedarf. Bei den Indikatoren zu Gewalt gegen Frauen schneidet Deutschland im Vergleich zu allen anderen Indikatoren besonders schlecht ab, obwohl die wirtschaftlichen Kosten hier hoch sind. Die vorhandene Kluft zwischen den Geschlechtern könnte mit falschen Anreizsystemen, Glaubenssätzen und Sexismus zusammenhängen. Frauenquoten und Initiativen wie der »Girls' Day« sind nicht ausreichend, um die immer noch anhaltenden Defizite in der Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter zu beseitigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Arnalds, Ásdís A., Sabina Belope-Nguema, Guðný Björk Eydal & José Andrés Fernández-Cornejo (2022): Constructing fatherhood in the North and South: Paid parental leave, work and care in Iceland and Spain. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 65, H. 1, S. 86-102. DOI:10.1177/00016993211008517

Abstract

"While Iceland and Spain historically belong to two different welfare regimes, both countries have enacted fathers’ quotas to their systems of paid parental leave. From the year 2000, Iceland has provided fathers with a three-month-long quota, and Spain introduced a 13-day fathers’ quota in 2007. Using survey data, the article applies structural equation modelling to learn of the interconnection between parents’ leave use, their working hours and fathers’ participation in care of their children. Fathers’ leave use was found to be associated with their involvement in care in both countries, both directly and indirectly, through the reduction in working hours. Icelandic fathers were more engaged in childcare than fathers in Spain, which could be explained by the longer period of paid leave available for fathers in Iceland." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Avram, Silvia & Daria Popova (2022): Do taxes and transfers reduce gender income inequality? Evidence from eight European welfare states. In: Social science research, Jg. 102. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102644

Abstract

"We examine how taxes and transfers affect the incomes of men and women. Using microsimulation and intra-household income splitting rules, we measure the differences in the level and composition of individual disposable income by gender in eight European countries covering various welfare regime types. We quantify the extent to which taxes and transfers can counterbalance the gender gap in earnings, as well as which policy instruments contribute most to reducing the gender income gap. We find that with the exception of old-age public pensions, all taxes and transfers significantly reduce gender income inequality but cannot compensate for high gender earnings gaps. Our findings suggest that gender income equality is more likely to be achieved by promoting the universal/dual breadwinner model, whereby women's labour force participation and wages are on a par with men. To achieve this, men will likely need to work less and care more." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Begall, Katia, Leonie van Breeschoten, Tanja van der Lippe & Anne-Rigt Poortman (2022): Supplemental family leave provision and employee performance. Disentangling availability and use. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 33, H. 3, S. 393-416. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2020.1737176

Abstract

"The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the provision of supplemental family leave elicits higher work effort and extra-role behavior in employees. Drawing on arguments derived from signaling theory we test whether the beneficial effects of providing longer or better paid family leave on performance exist for all employees, or whether they are limited to the group who either took advantage of the supplemental leave in the past or is likely to do so in the future. In addition, the mechanism proposed by organizational support theory by which supplemental leave is expected to affect employee performance - by increasing affective organizational commitment - is tested. The hypotheses developed are tested using European multilevel organization-data (Van der Lippe et al., 2016a) on 11,011 employees in 869 departments or teams, and 259 organizations. The results indicate that perceived availability of supplemental family leave relates positively to employees? contextual performance, partially by increasing organizational commitment. This effect is found irrespective of actual use of family leave and is not moderated by characteristics relating to future use such as having young children, being of childbearing age or being female." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bellisle, Dylan J. F. (2022): How the Earned Income Tax Credit Sustains Informal Child-Care Arrangements with Family Members and Helps Maintain Intergenerational Relations. In: Social Service Review, Jg. 96, H. 4, S. 744-778. DOI:10.1086/722002

Abstract

"The earned income tax credit (EITC) is one of the largest antipoverty programs in the United States. Although extensive research suggests the EITC is linked to various positive parent and child outcomes, limited attention has been paid to how familial obligations shape ways in which the EITC is spent. Research indicates that social networks of extended family and friends can be vital to low-income families’ social and economic well-being, suggesting the importance of exploring their roles in shaping EITC spending decisions. Drawing from in-depth interviews with primarily women of color, this article reveals how some women maintain extended family caregiving arrangements through monetary gifts from their EITC. The women’s narratives illustrate how they identified the social and economic value of the caregiving and how caregiving and monetary reciprocity facilitated the maintenance of intergenerational social support; they also expose limitations of current policies designed to support care arrangements among low-income families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Boll, Christina (2022): Erschöpft: Familien in der Corona-Krise. In: L. Bellmann & W. Matiaske (Hrsg.) (2022): Sozio-Ökonomik der Corona-Krise, S. 283-312.

Abstract

"Die Corona-Pandemie hat Familien vor große Herausforderungen gestellt. Eltern mussten ad hoc wegbrechende außerfamiliale Bildung und Betreuung selbst übernehmen. Wechselnde Rahmenbedingungen wie der Betreuung, wirtschaftliche Unsicherheit und Umorganisation der Erwerbstätigkeit erfordern seit Ende März 2020 einen täglichen, nervenraubenden Balanceakt. Das blieb nicht ohne Auswirkungen auf Familienklima, Zufriedenheit und inner-familiale Konflikte. Die soziale Schere ging in der Krise noch weiter auf: Die Herausforderungen und Belastungen treffen die Familien unterschiedlich stark und können von ihnen auch unterschiedlich gut bewältigt werden. Dies liegt nicht zuletzt daran, dass staatliche Unterstützungsangebote die Familieneinkommen zwar insgesamt massiv abgefedert, aber nicht alle Zielgruppen gleich gut erreicht haben. Auch die elterlichen Sorgen um die Kinder weisen einen sozialen Gradienten auf. Quer durch alle sozialen Schichten zieht sich die zunehmende Erschöpfung von Familien. Die Belastungen für das Familienleben sind vom ersten zum zweiten Lockdown eher noch gewachsen. Mütter trugen und tragen die größten Zusatzlasten bei der Kinderbetreuung und bei der Angehörigenpflege. Für die Geschlechtergleichstellung kann die Krise u.a. aufgrund des Digitalisierungsschubs dennoch Fortschritte bringen, auch wenn die Effekte auf die Arbeitsteilung im Haushalt eher klein sein dürften. Die Pandemie hat enorme Defizite des Bildungs- und Pflegesystems offengelegt, die politisch adressiert werden müssen. Auch im Kinderschutzsystem besteht Handlungs- und Forschungsbedarf, um für die nächste Krise besser gewappnet zu sein." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Bousselin, Audrey (2022): Access to universal childcare and its effect on maternal employment. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 20, H. 2, S. 497-532. DOI:10.1007/s11150-021-09572-9

Abstract

"Subsidized childcare is a key instrument to support maternal employment in most OECD countries. Using a major reform implemented in Luxembourg in 2009, I study the effects of expanding access to subsidized childcare on the employment decisions of women in a context where childcare is universal and heavily subsidized, but is limited by capacity constraints. The identification strategy relies on temporal variation across age groups of children. In response to the reform, the employment rate of mothers increased by 3 percentage points, and their working time grew by 1 h per week. This effect hides the difference between children's ages, as mothers of the youngest children are found to be more responsive to the reform than mothers of children in primary education. Studying heterogeneous effects reveals a differential impact of the reform with regard to prior employment status." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Brehm, Uta, Mathias Huebener & Sophia Schmitz (2022): 15 Jahre Elterngeld: Erfolge, aber noch Handlungsbedarf. Ein Blick auf partnerschaftliche Arbeitsteilung und Karrieren. In: Bevölkerungsforschung aktuell, Jg. 43, H. 6, S. 3-7.

Abstract

"Im Jahr 2022 wird das Elterngeld 15 Jahre alt. Diese zentrale familienpolitische Maßnahme stellte einen Paradigmenwechsel in der deutschen Familienpolitik dar, mit dem Ziel, die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Müttern zu stärken und auch die partnerschaftliche Aufteilung der Kinderbetreuung und Hausarbeit zu verbessern. Dieser Beitrag untersucht die zeitlichen Veränderungen in der Nutzung des Elterngeldes durch Mütter und Väter sowie deren Aufteilung der Sorge- und Hausarbeit nach der Elternzeit. Außerdem wird betrachtet, wie sich Karriereverläufe von Müttern und Vätern entwickelt haben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Bünning, Mareike & Lena Hipp (2022): How can we become more equal? Public policies and parents' work–family preferences in Germany. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 182-196. DOI:10.1177/09589287211035701

Abstract

"This study examines how public policies affect parents’ preferences for a more egalitarian division of paid and unpaid work. Based on the assumption that individuals develop their preferences within a specific policy context, we examine how changes in three policies affect mothers’ and fathers’ work–family preferences: the availability of high-quality, affordable childcare; the right to return to a full-time job after having reduced hours to part-time and an increase in the number of ‘partner months’ in parental leave schemes. Analysing a unique probability sample of parents with young children in Germany from 2015 (N = 1756), we find that fathers would want to work slightly fewer hours if they had the right to return to a full-time position after working part-time, and mothers would want to work slightly more hours if childcare opportunities were improved. Full-time working parents, moreover, are found to prefer fewer hours independent of the policy setting, while non-employed parents would like to work at least some hours. Last but not least, our analyses show that increasing the number of partner months in the parental leave scheme considerably increases fathers’ preferences for longer and mothers’ preferences for shorter leave. Increasing the number of partner months in parental schemes hence has the greatest potential to increase gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Canaan, Serena (2022): Parental leave, household specialization and children's well-being. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 75. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102127

Abstract

"Many countries offer new parents long periods of paid leave. Proponents argue that parental leave programs can reduce gender gaps in the labor market and promote children's well-being. In this paper, I show that lengthy leaves can instead work against these intended goals. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that a 3-year expansion of paid leave in France increases household specialization by inducing mothers to exit the labor force and fathers to raise their work hours. The leave further harms children's verbal development." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Canaan, Serena, Anne Sophie Lassen, Philip Rosenbaum & Herdis Steingrimsdottir (2022): Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave: Evidence on the Economic Impact of Legislative Chances in High Income Countries. (IZA discussion paper 15129), Bonn, 48 S.

Abstract

"Labor market policies for expecting and new mothers emerged at the turn of the nineteenth century. The main motivation for these policies was to ensure the health of mothers and their newborn children. With increased female labor market participation, the focus has gradually shifted to the effects that parental leave policies have on women's labor market outcomes and gender equality. Proponents of extending parental leave rights for mothers in terms of duration, benefits, and job protection have argued that this will support mothers' labor market attachment and allow them to take time off from work after childbirth and then safely return to their pre-birth job. Others have pointed out that extended maternity leave can work as a double-edged sword for mothers: If young women are likely to spend months, or even years, on leave, employers are likely to take that into consideration when hiring and promoting their employees. These policies may therefore end up adversely affecting women's labor market outcomes. This has led to an increased focus on activating fathers to take parental leave, and in 2019, the European Parliament approved a directive requiring member states to ensure at least two months of earmarked paternity leave. The literature on parental leave has proliferated over the last couple of decades. The increased number of studies on the topic has brought forth some consistent findings. First, the introduction of short maternity leave is found to be beneficial for both maternal and child health and for mothers' labor market outcomes. Second, there appear to be negligible benefits from a leave extending beyond six months in terms of health out-comes and children's long-run outcomes. Furthermore, longer leaves have little, or even adverse, influence on mothers' labor market outcomes. However, some evidence suggests that there may be underlying heterogeneous effects from extended leaves among different socioeconomic groups. The literature on the effect of earmark" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Carlsson, Magnus & Abdulaziz Abrar Reshid (2022): Coworker peer effects on parental leave take-up. In: The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Jg. 124, H. 4, S. 930-957. DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12485

Abstract

"This paper investigates coworker peer effects in parental leave usage in Sweden. We use an instrumental variable approach labeled peers of peers in which parental leave usage by family peers (siblings and cousins) of coworkers is used as an instrument for coworkers’ parental leave usage. For fathers, we find that a ten-day increase in average parental leave usage among coworkers increases usage by approximately one and a half days; while for mothers, the increase is approximately one day. The results are robust to alternative model specifications. We explore possible mechanisms and discuss policy implications." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Casarico, Alessandra, Elena Del Rey & Jose I. Silva (2022): The Effect of Child Care Costs on Gender Inequality. (CESifo working paper 9827), München, 29 S.

Abstract

"We develop a model to study the impact on gender gaps in participation and wages of a liquidity constraint that prevents some households from paying child care. We show that this liquidity constraint generates an inefficiency and amplifies gender gaps in the labour market. In this framework, an extension of paid maternity leave duration has ambiguous effects on gender inequality. In contrast, child care subsidies, which require higher taxes, and loans, which do not, unambiguously reduce gender inequality. We illustrate the mechanisms at play in a numerical example using Spanish data." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Christl, Michael, Silvia De Poli & Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė (2022): The lock-in effect of marriage: Work incentives after saying, "Yes, I do.". (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1142), Essen, 23 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, we use EUROMOD, the tax-benefit microsimulation model of the European Union, to investigate the impact of marriage-related tax-benefit instruments on the labour supply of married couples. For each married partner, we estimate their individual marginal effective tax rate and net replacement rate before and after marriage. We show that the marriage bonus, which is economically significant in eight European countries, decreases the work incentives for women and, particularly, on the intensive margin. In contrast, the incentives on the intensive margin increase for men once they are married, pointing to the marriage-biased and gender-biased taxbenefit structures in the analysed countries. Our results suggest that marriage bonuses contribute to a lock-in effect, where second earners, typically women, are incentivised to work less, with negative economic consequences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Corekcioglu, Gozde, Marco Francesconi & Astrid Kunze (2022): Expansions in Paid Parental Leave and Mothers' Economic Progress. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 15585), Bonn, 89 S.

Abstract

"We examine the impact of government-funded universal paid parental leave extensions on the likelihood that mothers reach top-pay jobs and executive positions, using eight Norwegian reforms. Up to a quarter of a century after childbirth, such reforms neither helped nor hurt mothers' chances to be at the top of their companies' pay ranking or in leadership positions. We detect no differential effect across many characteristics, and no impact on other outcomes, such as hours worked and promotions. No reform affected fathers' pay or the gender pay gaps between mothers and their male colleagues and between mothers and their partners." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Danzer, Natalia, Martin Halla, Nicole Schneeweis & Martina Zweimüller (2022): Parental leave, (in)formal childcare and long-term child outcomes. In: The Journal of Human Resources, Jg. 57, H. 6, S. 1826-1884. DOI:10.3368/jhr.58.2.0619-10257R1

Abstract

"We evaluate the effect of an Austrian parental leave extension from the child’s first to its second birthday on long-term child outcomes. Exploiting a sharp birthday cutoff-based discontinuity in the eligibility for extended leave, we find that longer parental leave improves on average child health outcomes, but has no effect on the child’s labor market outcomes. When accounting for the counterfactual mode of care, we find significant gains in all outcomes for children for whom the reform most likely induced a replacement of informal childcare with maternal care. This highlights the importance of the counterfactual scenario in such evaluations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System) ((en))

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Eriksson, Helen, Sunnee Billingsley & Maria Branden (2022): Parental Leave within the Workplace: A Re-assessment of Opposite Educational Gradients for Women and Men. In: Sociology, Jg. 56, H. 5, S. 1032-1044. DOI:10.1177/00380385221109743

Abstract

"Educational gradients in parental leave length are opposite for women and men: highly educated women return to work faster than those with low education while highly educated men are absent longer than less educated men. Explanations for the opposite gradients are typically made at the individual- or couple-level. To date, no quantitative study has documented whether the opposite educational gradients hold also within workplaces. In this study, we use employer-employee matched Swedish register data with fixed-effects models to examine whether the educational gradient applies also among co-workers in the same workplace. The results show that three-quarters of the educational effect typically attributed to the individual father disappeared when comparing fathers within workplaces. The educational gradient of mothers remained largely unchanged. These findings provide the first population-level evidence for the primacy of the workplace in determining fathers? care choices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fendel, Tanja & Beate Jochimsen (2022): Home care allowance and labor market participation of immigrant and native-born mothers. In: SN Social Sciences, Jg. 2, 2022-04-26. DOI:10.1007/s43545-022-00393-w

Abstract

"Most countries still have a significant gender gap in labor force participation, and this gap is especially large for immigrants. Despite this gap, Germany introduced various forms of home care allowances in the last decade. Parallel to the extension of early child care and the inclusion of a legal claim for it, from 2013 to 2015, a nationwide home care allowance existed for parents who did not use public child care for children aged one or two years. After 2015, home care allowances continued to exist in several German federal states. Some politicians strongly criticized this transfer for allegedly decreasing work incentives, particularly for mothers with lower labor market integration, such as immigrant mothers. Using federal state differentiated data obtained from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we investigate the impact of a home care allowance on the labor market participation of mothers. For both native-born and especially immigrant mothers, the effects are significantly negative. We conclude that a home care allowance has negative effects on the labor force participation of mothers of young children, irrespective of the legal claim for and the extension of public child care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer) ((en))

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Girsberger, E. M., L. Hassani-Nezhad, K. Karunanethy & R. Lalive (2022): Mothers at Work: How Mandating a Short Maternity Leave Affects Work and Fertility. (Discussion paper series / City University London, Department of Economics 2022,06), London, 54 S.

Abstract

"Switzerland mandated a 14-week paid maternity leave in 2005 when many firms already offered a similar benefit. While the mandate had only small and temporary effects on labor market outcomes of first-time mothers, it raised the share of those having a second child by three percentage points. Women employed in firms with prior paid leave sharply increased their subsequent fertility. In contrast, women employed in other firms did not change their fertility behaviour, but instead saw a persistent increase in their earnings after birth. This pattern of results suggests that firms with pre-mandate leave passed on (some of) their resulting cost-savings to their employees - “trickle down effects” - by making their maternity leave more generous than mandated, hiring temporary replacement workers and/or supporting mothers' return to work in other ways." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Goldacker, Kristina, Janna Wilhelm, Susanne Wirag, Pia Dahl, Tanja Riotte & Pia S. Schober (2022): Shared leave, happier parent couples? Parental leave and relationship satisfaction in Germany. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 197-211. DOI:10.1177/09589287211056187

Abstract

"This study investigates how parental leave policies and uptake may impact heterosexual couples’ relationship satisfaction. It focuses on Germany as an example of a country with a history of familialist policies and long maternal leaves that has recently undergone a significant policy shift. We extend the literature by examining the effects of maternal and paternal leave duration on both partners’ relationship satisfaction while distinguishing between the length of solo, joint and overall leave. The study applies two different methods on data from the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam). First, the study applies fixed-effects regression models (n = 1046 couples) to investigate the impact of parental leave duration on the change in mothers’ and fathers’ satisfaction over the child’s early years. Second, drawing on exogenous variation as a result of the parental leave reform of 2007, which shortened paid leave for mothers and incentivised fathers’ leave take-up, difference-in-difference analyses (n = 1403 couples) analyse reform effects on relationship satisfaction of parents with 3-year-old children. The fixed-effects models indicated a consistent negative impact of maternal – especially solo – leave duration on both mothers’ and fathers’ relationship satisfaction. No significant effects of paternal leave length were found. The difference-in-difference approach revealed a positive reform effect on mothers’ relationship satisfaction. In combination, these results suggest that the reduction in maternal leave as part of the reform has had a greater impact on couples’ relationship quality than the relatively short duration of leave taken by most fathers after the introduction of the individual leave entitlement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hermes, Henning, Marina Krauß, Philipp Lergetporer, Frauke Peter & Simon Wiederhold (2022): Early Child Care and Labor Supply of Lower-SES Mothers. A Randomized Controlled Trial. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 15814), Bonn, 55 S.

Abstract

"We present experimental evidence that enabling access to universal early child care for families with lower socioeconomic status (SES) increases maternal labor supply. Our intervention provides families with customized help for child care applications, resulting in a large increase in enrollment among lower-SES families. The treatment increases lower-SES mothers' full-time employment rates by 9 percentage points (+160%), household income by 10%, and mothers' earnings by 22%. The effect on full-time employment is largely driven by increased care hours provided by child care centers and fathers. Overall, the treatment substantially improves intra-household gender equality in terms of child care duties and earnings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Illing, Hannah, Michael Oberfichtner, Nico Pestel, Johannes Schmieder & Simon Trenkle (2022): Geschlechtsspezifische Arbeitsmarktwirkung der Covid-19-Pandemie: Ähnlicher Arbeitszeitausfall, aber bei Müttern höhere zusätzliche Belastung durch Kinderbetreuung. (IAB-Kurzbericht 03/2022), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2203

Abstract

"Die Covid-19-Pandemie hat im Frühjahr 2020 eine Rezession ausgelöst, von der - anders als in früheren Rezessionen - Frauen ähnlich stark betroffen waren wie Männer. Die Kita- und Schulschließungen führten außerdem zu sehr starken zusätzlichen Belastungen für Eltern. Mütter haben dabei deutlich mehr zusätzliche Zeit für Kinderbetreuung übernommen als Väter." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Jakobsen, Katrine, Thomas H. Jørgensen & Hamish Low (2022): Fertility and Family Labor Supply. (Department of Economics discussion paper series / University of Oxford 965), Oxford, 67 S.

Abstract

"We study the importance of fertility adjustments for labor market responsiveness of men and women. First, we use longitudinal Danish register data and tax reforms from 2009 to provide new empirical evidence on fertility adjustments to tax changes. We find asymmetric effects between men and women: Increases in marginal net-of tax wages of women decrease fertility whereas increases in marginal net-of-tax wages of men increase fertility. Second, we quantify the importance of these fertility adjustments for understanding labor supply responses to tax reforms. To this end, we estimate a life-cycle model of family labor supply in which couples choose the timing and number of children, which also replicates the asymmetric fertility adjustments. In the model, allowing fertility adjustments increase the labor supply responsiveness of women by 28%, and, as a result, tax reforms can have larger and more persistent effects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jessen, Jonas, Sophia Schmitz & Felix Weinhardt (2022): Immigration, Female Labour Supply and Local Cultural Norms. (Discussion paper / Berlin School of Economics 1), Berlin, 47 S. DOI:10.48462/opus4-4647

Abstract

"We study the local evolution of female labour supply and cultural norms in West Germany in reaction to the sudden presence of East Germans who migrated to the West after reunification. These migrants grew up with high rates of maternal employment, whereas West German families mostly followed the traditional breadwinner-housewife model. We find that West German women increase their labour supply and that this holds within households. We provide additional evidence on stated gender norms, West-East friendships, intermarriage, and child care infrastructure. The dynamic evolution of the local effects on labour supply is best explained by local cultural learning and endogenous child care infrastructure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kunze, Astrid (2022): Parental leave and maternal labor supply. (IZA world of Labor 279,2), Bonn, 10 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.279.v2

Abstract

"Numerous studies have investigated whether the provision and generosity of parental leave affects the employment and career prospects of women. Parental leave systems typically provide either short unpaid leave mandated by the firm, as in the US, or more generous and universal leave mandated by the government, as in Canada and several European countries. Key economic policy questions include whether, at the macro level, female employment rates have increased due to parental leave policies; and, at the micro level, whether the probability of returning to work and career prospects have increased for mothers after childbirth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Landivar, Liana Christin, William J. Scarborough, Caitlyn Collins & Leah Ruppanner (2022): Do high childcare costs and low access to Head Start and childcare subsidies limit mothers' employment? A state-level analysis. In: Social science research, Jg. 102. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102627

Abstract

"Access to affordable childcare is crucial to mothers' employment. Yet, childcare costs and access to Head Start, childcare subsidies, and state-funded preschool vary dramatically across U.S. states. Using data from the 2016 American Community Survey five-year estimates, we apply hierarchical logistic regression models to show mothers are more likely to work in states with inexpensive childcare, higher Head Start enrollment and childcare subsidy participation, and increased availability of state-funded preschool. Childcare subsidy access is associated with higher maternal employment amongst those with lower levels of educational attainment, whereas state-funded preschool is associated with higher employment primarily among the college educated. Additionally, our analysis revealed that Head Start has a stronger association with maternal employment in states where childcare costs are high, reducing the negative relationship of employment with expensive childcare. As national discussions continue to center on the importance of childcare, our research adds evidence that public programs support maternal employment through reducing out-of-pocket childcare costs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Landivar, Liana Christin, Rose A. Woods & Gretchen M. Livingston (2022): Does part-time work offer flexibility to employed mothers? In: Monthly labor review H. February. DOI:10.21916/mlr.2022.7

Abstract

"Using data from the 2017-18 American Time Use Survey Leave and Job Flexibilities Module, we evaluate the relationship between part-time work and job flexibility among civilian employed mothers who are wage and salary workers. Results show that mothers working part time are employed in jobs that lack many of the attributes that would characterize these jobs as flexible. Mothers in part-time jobs were less likely to have paid leave, work-at-home access, and advanced schedule notice. Although part-time jobs require fewer work hours, these shorter work hours may come at a cost of reduced flexibility, pay, and availability of family-friendly benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lott, Yvonne, Dietmar Hobler, Svenja Pfahl & Eugen Unrau (2022): Stand der Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern in Deutschland. (WSI-Report 72), Düsseldorf, 49 S.

Abstract

"Wie ist der Stand der Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern auf dem Arbeitsmarkt in Deutschland? Und wie hat sich der Stand der Gleichstellung entwickelt? Anhand zentraler Indikatoren auf Basis des WSI GenderDatenPortals (www.wsi.de/ genderdatenportal) liefert der vorliegende Report eine knappe und zusammenfassende Übersicht über den aktuellen Stand der Geschlechtergleichstellung in Deutschland mit einem Fokus auf den Arbeitsmarkt. Die Analysen zeigen, dass sich positive Trends vor allem bei der Erwerbsbeteiligung und den Einkommen von Frauen fortgesetzt haben. Bei der Mitbestimmung und den Arbeitszeiten baut sich Geschlechterungleichheit zwar ab, aber nur sehr langsam und in sehr kleinen Schritten. Bei der Aufteilung der Kinderbetreuung und der vertikalen Segregation des Arbeitsmarktes stagniert die Geschlechterungleichheit jedoch auf hohem Niveau." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Martina, Pezer (2022): Public policies supporting families with children across welfare regimes: An empirical assessment of six European countries. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 254-269. DOI:10.1177/09589287221080700

Abstract

"Public policies supporting families with children differ among countries but with the same goal of improving the well-being of children. Using a microsimulation model, this article assesses the cash support which families receive for their children in Croatia, Greece, Germany, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The impact of policies across the income distribution on different family sizes, child-rearing cost compensation and child poverty is estimated. A method for the calculation of child-contingent payments for each child by order of birth in the family is proposed as a complementary indicator of policy design. The results confirm that a combination of universal and targeted support (either from family or social assistance benefits) is the most effective in poverty reduction and cost compensation. While high support for larger families greatly reduces poverty, generous universal or even lower support for large families has proved to be at least equally effective." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Neuberger, Franz, Tobias Rüttenauer & Martin Bujard (2022): Where does public childcare boost female labor force participation? Exploring geographical heterogeneity across Germany 2007–2017. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 46, S. 693-722. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2022.46.24

Abstract

"Background: Public childcare provision and female labor force participation (FLP) have strongly increased over the past decades in European societies. However, studies offer heterogeneous findings on the link between public childcare and FLP. Objective: We investigate the link between public childcare and FLP, using different indicators of childcare and accounting for heterogeneous time trends and regional heterogeneity. Methods: Based on a balanced panel of all German counties from 2007 to 2017, we estimate the effect of an increasing enrollment rate for children aged 0–2 and 3–5 on FLP. We compare fixed effect (FE) and fixed effect individual slope estimators (FEIS) to control for county-specific time trends. Subsequently, we compare the results across regions with different levels of urbanization. Results: We find that most FE results are biased due to selection on trends. Still, when accounting for selection on trends, childcare enrollment for the age group 0–2 increases FLP in West Germany and in urban areas. Furthermore, childcare enrollment for children aged 3–5 years is associated with higher FLP in West Germany, in rural and, most strongly, in metropolitan areas. Conclusions: Our study highlights important heterogeneity in the general time trends of FLP and the effectiveness of childcare arrangements across different regions in Germany. Contribution: We provide a potential explanation for mixed results in previous studies. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of childcare arrangements varies with the level of urbanization. Taking this heterogeneity into account can help to develop target-oriented policy interventions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Neumann, Benjamin (2022): Familie, Politik und Elternzeit. In: J. Ecarius & A. Schierbaum (Hrsg.) (2022): Handbuch Familie, S. 269-283. DOI:10.1007/978-3-531-19985-6_19

Abstract

"Der Beitrag zeichnet die familienpolitischen Entwicklungslinien von der Einführung des Bundeserziehungsgeldgesetzes (BErzGG) 1986, über die grundlegende Novellierung des Bundeselterngeld und Elternzeitgesetzes (BEEG) 2007 bis hin zur Einführung des Elterngeld Plus 2015 nach. Entlang der Forschungsarbeiten zur Elternzeitnahme von Vätern, die zu einem wichtigen Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Forschungen zu Elternzeiten geworden sind, wird der nationale wie internationale Forschungsstand mitsamt spezifischer Themen- und Fragenschwerpunkte skizziert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer)

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Raab, Silke (2022): Betrieblicher Mutterschutz – mit viel Luft nach oben. In: Gute Arbeit, Jg. 34, H. 11, S. 8-13.

Abstract

"Die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen steigt. Deshalb wächst die Aufmerksamkeit für Schwangerschaft und Mutterschaft als Phasen besonderer Schutzwürdigkeit im Erwerbsleben. Das reformierte Mutterschutzgesetz (MuSchG, 2018) ist deshalb in Bezug auf seine Umsetzung genauer zu betrachten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Raute, Anna, Andrea Weber & Galina Zudenkova (2022): Can public policy increase paternity acknowledgement? Evidence from earnings-related parental leave. (CReAM discussion paper 2022,06), London, 47 S.

Abstract

"A child's family structure is a fundamental determinant of future well-being, making it essential to understand how public policies affect the involvement of fathers. In this paper, we exploit a reform of the German parental leave system - which increased mother's income and reduced legal father's financial support burden - to measure the impact on the relationship contract choices of parents who were unmarried at conception. Based on detailed birth record data, we demonstrate that short-run reform incentives during the first period after birth nudge unmarried fathers into the long-term commitment of acknowledging paternity. This shift reduces single motherhood by 6% but leaves the share of marriages at birth constant. Moreover, the change in relationship contract choices is mostly driven by parents of boys. These findings are compatible with predictions from a model where parents choose between three types of relationship contracts based on the mother's and father's incomes and support obligations. Our results highlight the necessity of studying intermediate relationship contracts (i.e., between the extremes of marriage and single motherhood) to improve our understanding of potential risk groups among the rising number of children growing up outside of marriage." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Reich, Ricarda (2022): Abseits der Norm? Egalitäre Teilzeitarrangements während des Elterngeldbezuges. Ausgestaltung und Motivlagen. In: Berliner Journal für Soziologie, Jg. 32, H. 4, S. 563-597. DOI:10.1007/s11609-022-00468-8

Abstract

"Mit der Einführung von Elterngeld Plus und Partnerschaftsbonus 2015 wird die Umsetzung egalitärer Teilzeitarrangements erstmals institutionell gestützt. Dieser Beitrag untersucht, inwieweit sich Eltern in Deutschland für ein solches Erwerbsarrangement im Rahmen der Elterngeldnutzung entscheiden, auf welche Weise die neuen Elterngeldkomponenten genutzt werden und wie die Erwerbs- und Elterngeldentscheidungen auf der Individual- und Paarebene begründet werden. Empirische Grundlage sind semi-strukturierte Interviews mit 18 Personen aus zehn gemischtgeschlechtlichen Paaren, die sich für eine parallele Teilzeitphase während des Elterngeldbezuges entschieden haben. Es zeigt sich, dass die paarinterne Aufteilung des Elterngeldanspruchs überwiegend geschlechts(stereo)typisch erfolgt und parallele Teilzeitphasen zumeist von kurzer Dauer sind. Die Begründungen für eine egalitäre Teilzeitphase sind vielfältig und variieren mit deren Dauer: Kurze egalitäre Teilzeitepisoden dienen primär der Bewältigung verschiedener Übergangsphasen. Die Entscheidung für ein egalitäres Teilzeitarrangement von langer Dauer beruht hingegen auf egalitären Werthaltungen oder beruflichen Zwängen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag)

Zitatform

Romero-Balsas, Pedro, Gerardo Meil & Jesús Rogero-García (2022): Is Spanish parental leave 'traditionalising' the gender distribution of childcare and housework? In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 3, S. 983-1001. DOI:10.20377/jfr-745

Abstract

"Objective: The question addressed in this study is the possible effect of mothers' use of parental leave on the share of childcare and housework assumed by each parent. Background: Whilst the length of parental leave is greater in Spain than in other European countries, as it is unpaid, take-up rates are low. Such leaves are taken more frequently and for longer periods by women than men. Method: To determine the answer, two multivariate regression models were applied to National Statistics Institute 2018 Fertility Survey data. The main independent variables were fathers' and mothers' use of parental leave. The models also controlled for the effects of family and socio-economic variables on the share of childcare and housework assumed by each parent. Results: The findings showed that mothers' use of unpaid full-time parental leave traditionalises the distribution of domestic chores only when the leave extends beyond one year, whereas part-time leave-taking has no effect whatsoever. That such reversion to tradition can be neutralised when fathers take leaves attests to the advisability of encouraging paternal use. The effects apply to childcare only, however, for other household chores are still distributed along very traditional lines. Conclusion: Unpaid parental leave use by mothers "traditionalizes" the allocation of childcare within the couple, but only when it takes longer than a year." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Rosenqvist, Olof (2022): Reducing the gender gap in parental leave through economic incentives? Evidence from the gender equality bonus in Sweden. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2022,22), Uppsala, 39 S.

Abstract

"Using administrative data from Sweden, I study an internationally unique parental leave policy that rewarded parents with a financial bonus as a function of their division of paid parental leave. Results from a birthdate based regression discontinuity design show that the policy significantly reduced the absolute difference in days of paid leave between the parents. Since parents started earning bonus only after the exhaustion of the 60 reserved days for each parent, the response to the bonus was completely driven by the roughly 55 % of the couples who exhausted all reserved days. Within this group, the effect of the policy was particularly strong in the small group of parents where the father had the highest uptake, causing the effect on the mother-father difference in uptake to be insignificant. Labor market earnings and temporary parental leave (i.e., caring for the child when he/she is too sick to be in school/daycare center), which has been argued to be a good proxy for a parent’s general childcare involvement beyond the first years after childbirth, were not significantly affected by the bonus. However, mothers who lowered (increased) their uptake of parental leave in response to the bonus policy displayed negative (positive) point estimates for temporary parental leave and positive (negative) point estimates for labor earnings. While a corresponding pattern for fathers could not be observed, for mothers, the results suggest a potentially important link between the length of the early parental leave and later allocation of time between home and market production." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sandner, Malte & Frederik Wiynck (2022): The Fertility Response to Cutting Child Related Welfare Benefits. (IAB-Discussion Paper 01/2022), Nürnberg, 57 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.DP.2201

Abstract

"Bereits seit langer Zeit wird untersucht, ob Sozialleistungen die Fertilität anregen. Dennoch ist die Forschung bisher nicht konsistent. Dieses Papier trägt zu ebendieser Debatte bei, indem es den Fertilitätseffekt einer deutschen Sozialleistungsreform untersucht. Die Reform verringerte das Haushaltseinkommen von Familien mit Sozialhilfebezug um 18 Prozent im ersten Jahr nach Geburt ihres Kindes. Die Analyse exklusiver Sozialversicherungsdaten von über 460.000 betroffenen Frauen ergibt, dass die Reform zu einer Verringerung der Fertilität von 6,8 Prozent führt. Dieses Ergebnis legt nahe, dass für sozialhilfebeziehende Mütter Fertilität eine Einkommenselastizität von 0,38 hat. Das ist wesentlich kleiner als in bisherigen Untersuchungen zur Gesamtbevölkerung angenommen. Unsere Befunden lassen darauf schließen, dass die Fertilität von Sozialhilfeempfängern weniger stark auf finanzielle Anreize reagiert, als die der Gesamtbevölkerung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schrader, Sonja Maria (2022): Erwerbsarbeit von Müttern und frühkindliche Fremdbetreuung. Eine integrative Betrachtung von Wohlfahrtseffekten. (BestMasters), Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler, 98 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-36287-4

Abstract

"Der Band bietet eine wirtschaftswissenschaftlich und psychologisch fundierte Herleitung von Wohlfahrtseffekten, die durch den zunehmenden Erwerbsumfang von Müttern und der daraus resultierenden frühkindlichen institutionellen Fremdbetreuung entstehen. Das Buch liefert eine multiperspektivische Analyse anhand des entwickelten Caregiving-In-Modells sowie auch verhaltensökonomischer Aspekte und leistet – auf Basis der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse – einen diskursiven Beitrag zur Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie für Entscheidungsträger in Wirtschaft und Politik." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Steinberg, Hannah Sinja & Corinna Kleinert (2022): Timing of early childcare take-up in Germany: An application of rational choice theory. In: Journal of Marriage and Family, Jg. 84, H. 3, S. 840-859., 2022-01-21. DOI:10.1111/jomf.12825

Abstract

"Objective: This study investigates some of the mechanisms, which may explain social inequalities in the usage of early childhood education and care (ECEC) by focusing on a recently born child cohort born in Germany, a universal childcare regime. Background: Research recognizes rational cost–benefit considerations as important for understanding social inequalities in educational decisions. Yet, given data limitations, we know relatively little about how these considerations are associated with inequalities in ECEC take-up. Thus, we model the decision to use ECEC as a rational cost–benefit investment strategy, which simultaneously affects the human capital of mothers and children. Method: We test our assumptions with data from the newborn cohort of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), estimating the timing of first entry into ECEC, using discrete-time event history models (N = 3257). Results: Results indicate that cost–benefit calculations are relevant for the timing of ECEC take-up, but do not explain social differences. Mothers who perceive ECEC as an investment in child development, and as an opportunity to maintain their own employment status use ECEC earlier. This association is particularly pronounced for more highly educated mothers. Conclusion: Findings highlight mothers' awareness of future educational returns for ECEC decisions. Additionally, they illustrate the importance of the cultural and structural context for these decisions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Wiley) ((en))

Zitatform

Tomlin, Bryan (2022): Maternity breaks: Unemployment spells or relevant experience? In: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Jg. 198, S. 673-681. DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2022.04.015

Abstract

"A correspondence study is used to determine how taking a maternity break from the labor force to raise a child affects a mother's ability to get an administrative job relative to mothers who did not take such a break. Relative to mothers who did not take a maternity break, those who did were about half as likely to receive a response to their application, as were those who spent the same time working as a nanny. Listing “stay-at-home mother” as relevant experience on one's resumé does nothing to shrink this gap. These results are consistent with the effect of unemployment on call-back rates as identified by previous research, suggesting that employers view maternity breaks as a form of unemployment rather than relevant experience." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Waights, Sevrin (2022): Parental Leave Benefits and Child Penalties. (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 2016), Berlin, 45 S.

Abstract

"I use the universe of tax returns in Germany and a regression kink design to estimate the impact of the benefit amount available to high-earning women after their first childbirth on subsequent within-couple earnings inequality. Lower benefit amounts result in a reduced earnings gap that persists beyond the benefit period for at least nine years after the birth. The longer-term impacts are driven by couples where the mother earned more than the father pre-birth. Simulations suggest it would take a 50% reduction in the benefit amount to completely eliminate long-run child penalties for sample couples. Lower benefits also reduce take-up of paid leave by mothers, lower the chances of having further children, and have no impact on marital stability." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Wanger, Susanne & Ines Zapf (2022): For better or worse: How more flexibility in working time arrangements and parental leave experiences affect fathers' working and childcare hours in Germany. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 582-614., 2021-10-21. DOI:10.20377/jfr-644

Abstract

"In dieser Studie untersuchen wir den Einfluss von flexiblen Arbeitszeitregelungen und Elternzeiterfahrungen auf die tatsächlichen Arbeits- und Kinderbetreuungszeiten von Männern. Viele Väter möchten mehr Zeit mit ihren Kindern verbringen und aktiv am Familienleben teilnehmen, aber die meisten arbeiten nach der Geburt eines Kindes noch mehr Stunden als zuvor. Zur besseren Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie könnte die Möglichkeit flexibler Arbeitszeitregelungen für Väter eine entscheidende Rolle spielen, auch um sich stärker in die Kinderbetreuung einzubringen. Anhand von Längsschnittdaten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) untersuchen wir den Zusammenhang zwischen flexiblen Arbeitszeitregelungen, Elternzeiterfahrungen, Arbeitszeiten und Kinderbetreuungszeiten. Basierend auf Daten zwischen 2013 und 2019 wurden Panel-Regressionsmodelle geschätzt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Wechsel von festen zu flexiblen Arbeitszeitregelungen zu einer Erhöhung der Arbeitszeit bei Männern und Vätern führt. Diese längeren Arbeitszeiten gehen bei Vätern mit einer Verkürzung des Zeitaufwands für Kinderbetreuungsaktivitäten einher, wenn auf flexible Arbeitszeitregelungen umgestellt wird. Väter mit Elternzeiterfahrung zeigen jedoch eine veränderte Zeitnutzung, wenn sie zu flexiblen Arbeitszeiten wechseln. Flexible Arbeitszeitregelungen erweisen sich für Väter als ambivalent: Einerseits bieten sie Vätern neue Spielräume, andererseits führen sie aufgrund traditioneller Rollenmodelle zu längeren Arbeitszeiten und damit weniger Beteiligung an der Kinderbetreuung; aber Elternzeiterfahrungen machen einen Unterschied, was die Bedeutung dieser Regelungen für Väter betont." (Autorenreferat, © University of Bamberg Press)

Zitatform

Winkler, Anne E. (2022): Women's labor force participation. Family-friendly policies increase women's labor force participation, benefiting them, their families, and society at large. (IZA world of labor 289), Bonn, 11 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.289.v2

Abstract

"Die Arbeitsmarktaktivitäten von Frauen steigern deren „wirtschaftlichen Wert“ für die Familie und die Gesellschaft. Während die weibliche Erwerbsbeteiligung weltweit zugenommen hat, bleibt sie in einigen Ländern und Regionen nach wie vor niedrig. In den USA sind die Frauenerwerbsquoten seit den 1990er Jahren weitgehend konstant geblieben, im Vergleich zu anderen Staaten jedoch gefallen. Angesichts der gesamtgesellschaftlichen Vorteile sollte die Politik ein starkes Interesse daran haben, Maßnahmen zur Förderung der weiblichen Erwerbsbeteiligung durchzusetzen. Elternzeit und subventionierte Kinderbetreuung sind zwei Schritte in die richtige Richtung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Zagel, Hannah & Wim Van Lancker (2022): Family policies' long-term effects on poverty: a comparative analysis of single and partnered mothers. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 166-181. DOI:10.1177/09589287211035690

Abstract

"This study investigates whether generous family policies at the transition to parenthood reduce single and partnered mothers’ economic disadvantages later in the life course. Previous research usually focused on the immediate effects of family policies and disregards potential longer-term effects. In this study, we suggest taking a life-course perspective to study the relationships between family policy and mothers’ poverty risks. We empirically investigate how investment in child benefits, childcare services and parental leave measures at the transition to parenthood are associated with poverty outcomes at later life stages and whether these associations hold over time. We draw on pooled EU-SILC data, and an original policy dataset based on OECD expenditure data for child benefits, childcare and parental leave from 1994 to 2015. We find that mothers’ observed increase in poverty over time is slower in countries with high levels of spending for childcare at the transition to parenthood than in lower spending countries. The gap between partnered and single mothers was also diminishing in contexts of high childcare expenditure. For the other two policies, we did not find these links. These results do lend support to the claim that childcare is a prime example of a social investment policy with returns later in the life course and represents a life-course policy that seems to be able to disrupt economic path dependencies. The results for the other two policies suggest, however, a limited potential of family policy spending at transition to parenthood to reduce the poverty gap between partnered and single mothers over the course of life." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Zoch, Gundula (2022): Does the provision of childcare reduce motherhood penalties in job-related training participation? Longitudinal evidence from Germany. (SocArXiv papers), 38 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/8f59x

Abstract

"Previous studies highlight gender differences in job-related training participation, particularly in countries with few family policies supporting maternal employment. This study examines whether higher levels of state-subsidized childcare provision are positively linked to mothers’ participation in job-related training. It combines individual-level data from the National Educational Panel Study for Germany (NEPS-SC6 adult cohort, N=5512, 2008-2020) with annual administrative records on county-level childcare coverage. Results from fixed effects models provide evidence that higher childcare levels reduce the negative impact of childbirth on mothers’ job-related training participation. Nevertheless, motherhood training penalties exist even in contexts with higher childcare coverage levels, especially in West Germany. The findings highlight the importance of supporting family policies to reduce motherhood training penalties and associated gender inequalities in the labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Although men and women are typically taxed under the same rules, their different social and economic characteristics (e.g. income levels or labour force participation) mean that the tax system can inadvertently contribute to gender inequalities in society. Understanding and improving the impact of taxes on gender equality is a key dimension that governments need to consider as part of tax design to support inclusive growth. This report provides the first cross-country overview of governments' approaches to tax policy and gender, including reforms undertaken to date and potential areas of explicit and implicit gender bias. Covering 43 countries, it also explores the extent to which governments take into account gender implications in policy development, gender considerations in tax administration and compliance, and the availability and use of gender-disaggregated data. Finally, it also discusses priorities for further work on tax policy and gender issues." (Author's abstract, © 2022 OECD) ((en))

Zitatform

Bacheron, Johanne (2021): The impact of paternity leave on mothers' employment in Europe. (AMSE working paper 2021,10 halshs-03145794), Paris, 48 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, I use a pseudo-panel approach with data from the European Union Labour Force Survey to study the impact of paternity leave policies on mothers' employment in ten countries. Using a dynamic Difference-in-Difference strategy, I show that paternity leave increased mothers' employment rate by up to 17% in the long run, and average hours worked by 2 to 4%. There is substantial heterogeneity across countries in the effect of paternity leave policies. The impact on employment rates is positive and significant in eight of the ten countries of the sample, while the impact on hours worked can be either positive or negative. I find no evidence that the reforms had any impact on Greece or Portugal." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bachmann, Ronald, Philipp Jäger & Robin Jessen (2021): A Split Decision: Welche Auswirkungen hätte die Abschaffung des Ehegattensplittings auf das Arbeitsangebot und die Einkommensverteilung? (RWI-Materialien 144), Essen, 29 S.

Abstract

"In diesem Artikel wird mithilfe eines Mikrosimulationsmodells untersucht, inwiefern ein Wechsel von der gemeinsamen Besteuerung ("Ehegattensplitting") zur individuellen Besteuerung das Arbeitsangebot erhöhen würde. Wir zeigen, dass diese Umstellung das Arbeitsangebot um mehr als eine halbe Millionen Vollzeitäquivalente erhöhen würde. Eine solche Reform führt jedoch auch zu finanziellen Verlusten bei manchen Bevölkerungsgruppen, die von der Wirtschaftspolitik berücksichtigt werden sollten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Bald, Fabian & Marcel Henkel (2021): The Role of Local Public Goods for Gender Gaps in the Spatial Economy. (CRED research paper 33), Bern, 58 S.

Abstract

"We assess the role of local public goods provision for gender gaps in the labour market. We find that higher fiscal revenues of local governments are associated with decreasing gender employment gaps in German labour market areas because it decreases labour supply for male workers at a higher rate than for female workers. The results are robust when we include instrumental variables that address the endogeneity of local public goods provision. To assess the impact of fiscal transfers across regions on gender gaps we quantify a spatial general equilibrium model with multiple types of workers, who are differently affected by local public goods provision in their labour supply decision. We find that transfers reduce disparities across regions. This goes along with smaller gender gaps in employment in treated regions because female workers are disproportionately pulled into market work and regions with low productivity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Bartels, Charlotte & Cortnie Shupe (2021): Drivers of Participation Elasticities across Europe: Gender or Earner Role within the Household? (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 1969), Berlin, 61 S.

Abstract

"We compute participation tax rates across the EU and find that work disincentives inherent in tax-benefit systems largely depend on household composition and the individual’s earner role within the household. We then estimate participation elasticities using an IV group estimator that enables us to investigate the responsiveness of individuals to work incentives. We contribute to the literature on heterogeneous elasticities by providing estimates for breadwinners and secondary earners separately, according to their potential earnings rather than gender. Our results show an average participation elasticity of 0.0-0.1 among breadwinners and 0.1-0.4 among secondary earners in the EU as well as a high degree of heterogeneity across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Becker, Sebastian, Hermann Buslei, Johannes Geyer & Peter Haan (2021): Employment Responses to Income Effect: Evidence from Pension Reform. (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 1941), Berlin, 20 S.

Abstract

"For the design of the pension system, it is crucial to disentangle the employment responses related to the substitution effect and the income effect. In this paper, we provide causal evidence regarding the importance of the income effect, which is generally assumed to be small or non-existent. We exploit a pension reform in Germany that raised pension benefits related to children. For the identification, we exploit the discontinuity induced by the reform: only mothers with children born before 1.1.1992 were affected by the pension reform. Children born after this cut-off date did not change pension income. We use a difference-in-differences estimator based on administrative data from the German pension insurance that includes complete individual employment histories. We find that income effects are significant and economically important. We show that the policy led to a reduction in the employment of affected females. Further, we are able to show effect heterogeneity on different dimensions: by treatment intensity, age of the mother, and pre-reform pension wealth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Benny, Liza, Sonia Bhalotra & Manuel Fernández (2021): Occupation flexibility and the graduate gender wage gap in the UK. (ISER working paper 2021-05), Colchester, 65 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines the importance of gender differences in labour supply and demand for job flexibility to the growth of the gender wage gap over the life cycle and over time for graduates in the UK. We document that the graduate gender wage gap increases over the life cycle, especially between ages 25 and 40, to about 20% of real hourly male earnings by age 55. The share of women working in flexible occupations has grown over the life cycle, and especially substantially over time for successive cohorts, whereas men are less likely to work in flexible occupations at older ages. The wage penalty from working in flexible occupations increases both over the life cycle and over time. We estimate a model of labour supply and demand to quantify the importance of changes to preferences and relative demand for flexibility on the gender wage gap. Higher relative demand for male labour at older ages, and in in flexible occupations, explains almost all (96%) of the estimated life cycle increases in the gender wage gap, whereas women's higher preferences for working in flexible occupations drives the increases in sorting into flexible occupations over time, contributing to about 60% of the estimated increase in the gender wage gap over time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Biegel, Naomi, Jonas Wood & Karel Neels (2021): Migrant-native differentials in the uptake of (in)formal childcare in Belgium: The role of mothers' employment opportunities and care availability. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 467-508. DOI:10.20377/jfr-463

Abstract

"Objective: we explore migrant-native differentials in the uptake of formal and informal childcare and whether this is induced by lower demand for childcare versus differential access to (in)formal childcare compared to natives. Background: The rise in female labour market participation in recent decades has challenged parents to negotiate work and family responsibilities and organise childcare. Belgium is among the European countries with the highest availability of formal childcare, but maternal employment and uptake of childcare are substantially lower in migrant populations. Methods : Combining linked microdata from the 1991 and 2001 censuses with contextual data on childcare availability at the municipality level, we use multinomial logit models to study childcare use and type of childcare arrangement among parents having a young child in 2001. As access to childcare and maternal employment are mutually endogenous, we use estimated employment opportunities. Results : We find considerable migrant-native differentials in childcare use, as well as substantial differences between first and second generation migrants. Second generation mothers of Turkish, Moroccan and Eastern-European background are less likely than natives to use childcare, and more likely to rely on informal arrangements if childcare is used. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and differential availability of (in)formal childcare largely accounts for differences in childcare use, but Turkish and Moroccan women remain less likely to use care and first generation Turkish mothers remain more likely to use informal care as opposed to formal childcare. Conclusions : While differences in socio-demographic characteristics, labour market opportunities and availability of (in)formal care provide a partial explanation, partial migrant-native differentials in childcare use persist for specific groups, suggesting that other factors inhibit the uptake of formal childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Blömer, Maximilian, Przemyslaw Brandt, Florian Dorn, Clemens Fuest & Andreas Peichl (2021): Für mehr Beschäftigung und mehr steuerliche Entlastung für Familien. Ein Reformvorschlag zur Einkommensbesteuerung. In: Ifo-Schnelldienst, Jg. 74, H. 10, S. 37-49.

Abstract

"Der Beitrag stellt einen für den Staatshaushalt nahezu aufkommensneutralen Reformvorschlag für das Einkommensteuer- und Transfersystem vor. Er baut steuerliche Fehlanreize zur Partizipation am Arbeitsmarkt ab und verteilt die Lasten fair, indem insbesondere Kinder stärker in den Fokus bei der steuerlichen Begünstigung von Ehe und Familie rücken und es in allen Dezilen mehr Gewinner als Verlierer geben würde. Die Mittelschicht würde bei diesem Reformvorschlag die stärksten Einkommenszugewinne erzielen. Zu den größten Gewinnern gehören Mehrverdienerhaushalte mit Kindern. Paare ohne Kinder und mit hoher Einkommensdifferenz müssen im Durchschnitt mehr Steuern als bisher zahlen. Die Effizienzgewinne der Reform würden zu knapp 400 000 mehr Beschäftigten (VZÄ) bzw. einem Anstieg der Partizipation am Arbeitsmarkt von bis zu 275 000 Erwerbstätigen führen. Zentrale Reformkomponenten sind (1) eine Reform der Familienbesteuerung mit hohen Kinderfreibeträgen und der Umwandlung des Ehegattensplittings in ein Ehegattenrealsplitting; (2) eine Anpassung der Transferentzugsraten zur Beseitigung der Niedrigeinkommensfalle, damit sich mehr Arbeit auch bei Niedrigeinkommen lohnt; und (3) die komplette Abschaffung des Solidaritätszuschlags, bei gleichzeitiger geringer Anhebung der Spitzen- und Reichensteuersätze sowie der Grundfrei- und Pauschbeträge." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Blömer, Maximilian, Przemyslaw Brandt & Andreas Peichl (2021): Raus aus der Zweitverdienerinnenfalle. Reformvorschläge zum Abbau von Fehlanreizen im deutschen Steuer- und Sozialversicherungssystem. Gütersloh, 45 S. DOI:10.11586/2021077

Abstract

"In der diesem Bericht zugrunde liegenden Studie haben wir häufig diskutierte Vorschläge für Reformen untersucht, die dem Ziel dienen sollen, die Beschäftigungsanreize für Zweitverdienende zu verbessern. Bei den Zweitverdienenden handelt es sich häufig um Ehefrauen und Mütter. Wir haben uns in unserer Analyse auf die Regelungen zum Mini- und Midijob, das Ehegattensplitting und verschiedene Kombinationen der diskutierten Reformelemente konzentriert. Zur Quantifizierung der Wirkungen der vorgeschlagenen Reformen auf das Arbeitsangebot haben wir das ifo-Mikrosimulationsmodell verwendet, ein empirisch geschätztes strukturelles Arbeitsangebotsmodell im Haushaltskontext." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Curci, Nicola & Marco Savegnago (2021): A new universal child allowance in Italy: equity and efficiency concerns. (Questioni di economia e finanza (Occasional papers) / Banca d'Italia 636), Rom, 33 S.

Abstract

"The paper discusses a possible scheme for a new universal child allowance (assegno unico e universale per i figli, AUU) and evaluates its effects on income distribution (equity) and on financial disincentives to work (efficiency). The analysis, carried out using the Banca d'Italia tax-benefit microsimulation model BIMic, takes into account the principles defined in the enabling law recently approved by the Parliament and the budgetary resources set aside for this measure. The scheme envisaged in the paper differs from the proposals discussed so far in public debate about the AUU due to a significant innovation, namely the introduction of an in-work benefit component. The simulated reform would not only reduce the inequality of disposable income with respect to the current legislation scenario, but also - due to the above mentioned in-work benefit - would lessen the financial disincentives to labor market participation for potential female workers. The latter result is particularly strong for low-income households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

De Paola, Maria, Roberto Nisticò & Vincenzo Scoppa (2021): Employment protection and fertility decisions: the unintended consequences of the Italian Jobs Act. In: Economic Policy, Jg. 36, H. 108, S. 735-773. DOI:10.1093/epolic/eiab015

Abstract

"We study the effect of a reduction in employment protection on workers’ fertility decisions. Using data from the Italian Labor Force Survey for 2013–18, we analyse how the propensity to have a child has been affected by the 2015 labour market reform dubbed the ‘Jobs Act’, which reduced employment protection for employees of larger firms while leaving small firms essentially untouched. We take a Difference-in-Differences identification approach and compare the change in fertility decisions of women employed in large firms with that of women in small firms. We find that the former’s probability of having a child is 1.4 percentage points lower. A battery of robustness checks confirms this finding. The effect also holds when possible sorting issues are accounted for by an instrumental variable approach. We document substantial heterogeneous effects by age, marital status, parity and geographical area as well as by education and earnings. Our findings suggest the potential unintended consequences on fertility that labour market reforms introducing greater flexibility may have by heightening career insecurity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))