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Fasang, Anette Eva, Silke Aisenbrey & Klaus Schömann (2013): Women's retirement income in Germany and Britain. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 29, H. 5, S. 968-980. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcs075

Abstract

"This article analyses women's retirement income in the context of two distinct welfare states. In addition to women's employment history, we consider their marital history over the life course as an important determinant of retirement income. We use longitudinal data for women born between 1930 and 1940 from the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Study. The results shed light on the mechanisms through which welfare states transmit gender inequality over the life course into retirement. In both countries, single women have higher retirement income than continuously married women. But there are also significant cross-country differences. In the corporatist-conservative German welfare state, marriage over the life course leads to greater dependence on a male breadwinner in retirement than in the liberal British welfare state." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Forlani, Emanuele, Elisabetta Lodigiani & Concetta Mendolicchio (2013): The impact of low-skilled immigration on female labour supply. (IAB-Discussion Paper 20/2013), Nürnberg, 43 S.

Abstract

"Wir untersuchen die Auswirkungen von Zuwanderung auf das Arbeitsangebot einheimischer Frauen. Insbesondere betrachten wir die Auswirkung des Anstiegs geringqualifzierter Zuwanderer, die im Haushaltssektor arbeiten, auf hoch- und geringqualifzierte einheimische Frauen. Wir modellieren individuelle Entscheidungen über die Haushaltsproduktion und testen die wichtigsten Aussagen dieses Modells anhand eines harmonisierten Datensatzes (CNEF). Unsere Stichprobe enthält Länder mit unterschiedlich großzügiger Familienpolitik. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit einem höheren Anteil an Migranten im Dienstleistungssektor eines lokal begrenzten Arbeitsmarktes die einheimischen hochqualifzierten Frauen ihr Arbeitsangebot erhöhen. Gleichzeitig steigt die Partizipationsrate unqualifizierter einheimischer Frauen. Darüber hinaus zeigen wir, dass diese Effekte in Ländern mit restriktiverer Familienpolitik stärker ausfallen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gerecke, Megan (2013): A policy mix for gender equality? Lessons from high-income countries. (International Institute for Labour Studies. Discussion paper 215), Genf, 74 S.

Abstract

"Over the past 15 years, important gains have been made in gender equality. Gender gaps in educational attainment have shrunk substantially. In fact, in many high-income countries, young women's educational attainment now exceeds that of young men. At the same time, most countries have seen a significant increase in female employment rates - a trend which slowed only with the recent financial crisis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ingold, Jo & David Etherington (2013): Work, welfare and gender inequalities. An analysis of activation strategies for partnered women in the UK, Australia and Denmark. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 621-638. DOI:10.1177/0950017012460306

Abstract

"In industrialized countries women have increasingly become a target group for active labour market policies, or 'activation'. However, to date, the burgeoning literature on activation has tended to overlook its link with the highly gendered nature of welfare. This article presents the first comparative analysis of activation approaches for partnered women in the UK, Australia and Denmark. Three core arguments are put forward that emphasize how the ideas (causal claims, beliefs and assumptions) articulated by key policy actors were crucial to both the construction and delivery of activation policies. First, women's differentiated access to benefits directly conflicted with the focus on the individual within activation policies. Second, activation was premised upon paid labour, embodying ideational assumptions about the meaning of (paid) work, in turn devaluing caring labour. Third, the 'problematization' of women outside the labour market resulted in their gendered 'processing' through the social security and activation systems." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lersch, Philipp M. (2013): Long-distance moves and employment of women in dual-earner couples in Britain and Germany. In: Schmollers Jahrbuch, Jg. 133, H. 2, S. 133-142. DOI:10.3790/schm.133.2.133

Abstract

"Chances are high that not both partners in dual-earner couples stay in employment after long-distance moves, because jobs are distributed heterogeneously in space. Previous research shows that women are more likely to leave employment than men. I extend this literature by adding evidence from Germany and by comparing the effects of moves in Britain, West and East Germany with data from the BHPS and the SOEP. My results show that women in dual-earner couples are more likely to leave employment after moves in Britain and West Germany compared to stayers, while women in East Germany are not adversely affected." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Perales, Francisco (2013): Occupational sex-segregation, specialized human capital and wages. Evidence from Britain. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 600-620. DOI:10.1177/0950017012460305

Abstract

"Female-dominated occupations are poorly paid, but there is disagreement about why. Sociological explanations argue that pay in such occupations is low because society undervalues 'women's work', while economic theory argues that this is due to scant requirements for specialized skills. This article sheds light over these debates by examining the impact of occupational feminization on wages in Britain and exploring the mechanisms that produce it, using innovative statistical models that account for both observable and unobservable skill. Results confirm that occupational sex-segregation explains a sizeable portion of the gender wage gap and that wages in female-dominated occupations are lower than wages in other occupations. Inconsistent with human capital theory, low pay in female-dominated occupations cannot be explained fully by low skill specialization or by observable or unobservable characteristics of their workers. Remaining wage penalties in such occupations are consequently taken as evidence of institutional devaluation of 'women's work'." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schober, Pia Sophia (2013): Maternal labor market return and domestic work after childbirth in Britain and Germany. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 16, H. 3, S. 307-326. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2013.820096

Abstract

"This study investigates how the duration of maternal labor market interruptions and mothers' employment status after return relate to the division of domestic work in couples after childbirth in West Germany, East Germany, and Britain. It extends the literature by considering how these two aspects of postnatal labor market return decisions of mothers may give rise to or counteract growing gender inequality in domestic work afterbirth events. Using data on 826 British and 1614 German new parent couples based on the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) (1991 - 2008) and on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) (1990 - 2010), I apply fixed-effects panel models. Mothers perform more housework with increasing length of their employment interruptions across the three contexts. For childcare, longer time-outs increase mothers' childcare share in West Germany but not in East Germany. This result is in line with institutional variations in day-care provision. Across contexts, mothers' full-time returns are associated with a larger reduction in their domestic work share than short time-out. After mothers returned to part-time employment, couples show no or much weaker compensating behaviors for longer previous maternal time-outs than after a full-time return." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Teasdale, Nina (2013): Fragmented sisters? The implications of flexible working policies for professional women's workplace relationships. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 20, H. 4, S. 397-412. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2012.00590.x

Abstract

"Much is being done by governments and organizations to help workers reconcile their family and employment responsibilities. One such measure has been the introduction of flexible working policies. While academic and policy debates focus on the barriers to flexible working, less consideration is paid to those who work alongside flexible workers. Through a gendered lens, this article focuses on professional women and explores the implications of UK flexible working policies for women's workplace relations in organizations that have traditionally been based on male models of working. Drawing on interviews conducted in three English organizations, it was found that the women's interests did not always coincide and that their social relationships, with respect to flexible working, involved both support and resentment. In particular, the women's interests were affected by organizational and job-related factors and their stage in the life course. These findings illuminate the ways in which policies are negotiated at the level of daily workplace life and show that co-workers are a pivotal part of the wider picture of flexible working." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Triventi, Moris (2013): The gender wage gap and its institutional context. A comparative analysis of European graduates. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 563-580. DOI:10.1177/0950017012460322

Abstract

"This article examines whether there is a gender gap in monthly wages among recent graduates in 11 European countries, and which variables account for it. We extend previous works considering a broader range of variables including perceived skills, responsibility at work, family obligations and attitudes to family and work. Regression analyses applied to data from the 'Research into Employment and professional FLEXibility' (REFLEX) survey (2005) show that in all countries there is a significant 'raw wage gap', but with noticeable cross-country variation. Decomposition analyses show that the 'residual wage gap' (discrimination) is lower in Nordic countries and higher in the Czech Republic, with the United Kingdom, continental and southern European countries placed in between them. Employment characteristics and working hours are the most important factors accounting for the gender gap. Wage discrimination is lower in countries with high trade union density, centralized collective bargaining, family-friendly policies, and high level of women's empowerment in society." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wattis, Louise, Kay Standing & Mara A. Yerkes (2013): Mothers and work-life balance. Exploring the contradictions and complexities involved in work-family negotiation. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 16, H. 1, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2012.722008

Abstract

"This article presents data from a project exploring women's experiences of work and care. It focuses primarily on work-life balance as a problematic concept. Social and economic transformations across advanced post-industrial economies have resulted in concerns about how individuals manage their lives across the two spheres of work and family and achieve a work-life balance. Governments across the European Union have introduced various measures to address how families effectively combine care with paid work. Research within this area has tended to focus on work-life balance as an objective concept, which implies a static and fixed state fulfilled by particular criteria and measured quantitatively. Qualitative research on women's experiences reveals work-life balance as a fluctuating and intangible process. This article highlights the subjective and variable nature of work-life balance and questions taken-for-granted assumptions, exploring problems of definition and the differential coping strategies which women employ when negotiating the boundaries between work and family." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wheatley, Dan (2013): Location, Vocation, Location? Spatial Entrapment among Women in Dual Career Households. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 20, H. 6, S. 720-736. DOI:10.1111/gwao.12005

Abstract

"This paper explores spatial entrapment among women. The analysis contributes to the debate concerning the spatial entrapment thesis, advancing research through application of a mixed method empirical approach, and focus on dual career households in the UK. Data from the UK Labour Force Survey Household Data-Set is combined with a recent case study of Greater Nottingham, England. The empirical findings are indicative of relative equality between career men and women in hours worked for an employer, particularly in professional occupations. But, while a level of equality is present in many workplaces, gender inequity within the home persists. Women, on average, work closer to their place of residence. School age dependent children present a particular constraint. Women are spatially entrapped by household responsibilities, with potentially severe career implications. Redressing this inequity within the household, however, represents a major challenge for future policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Del Bono, Emilia & Chiara Pronzato (2012): Does breastfeeding support at work help mothers and employers at the same time? (ISER working paper 2012-06), Colchester, 30 S.

Abstract

"This paper asks whether the availability of breastfeeding facilities at the workplace helps to reconcile breastfeeding and work commitments. Using data from the 2005 UK Infant Feeding Survey, we model the joint probability to return to work and breastfeeding and analyse its association with the availability of breastfeeding facilities. Our findings indicate that the availability of breastfeeding facilities is associated with a higher probability of breastfeeding and a higher probability to return to work by 4 and 6 months after the birth of the child. The latter effects are only found for women with higher levels of education." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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England, Paula, Janet Gornick & Emily Fitzgibbons Shafer (2012): Women's employment, education, and the gender gap in 17 countries. In: Monthly labor review, Jg. 135, H. 4, S. 3-12.

Abstract

"This article uses data from a number of high- and middle-income countries to investigate how women's employment and hours worked, and the gender gap in annual and hourly earnings, vary by educational level. Focusing on commonalities across countries, the analyses presented are limited to adults 25 to 54 years of age who have a marital or cohabiting partner of the other gender and, for some considerations, to the subset of these adults who have children in the household. The countries examined are Austria, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom (U.K.), the United States (U.S.), and Uruguay.
The data from the Luxembourg Income Study show that, among married or cohabiting mothers, better educated women are more likely to be employed; gender inequality in annual earnings is thus less extreme among the well educated than among those with less education, driven largely by educated women's higher employment." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lersch, Philipp M. (2012): Long-distance moves and labour market outcomes of dual-earner couples in the UK and Germany. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 469), Berlin, 41 S.

Abstract

"Chances are high that partners in dual-earner couples do not receive equal occupational returns from long-distance moves, because job opportunities are distributed heterogeneously in space. Which partners are more likely to receive relatively higher returns after moves? Recent research shows the stratification of returns by gender and highlights the importance of gender roles in mobility decisions. I extend past literature in two ways. First, while past research mostly examined partners separately, I directly test for gender differences in matched pairs of women and men in dual-earner couples and account for the non-independence of both careers. Second, I compare evidence from the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany to shed light on the effects of institutional and normative contexts. For my analysis, I draw longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (1991-2008). My results show that women in dual-earner couples are temporarily adversely affected in their careers by long-distance moves in the UK and West Germany after controlling for various characteristics of both partners. Women in East Germany are not affected by long-distance moves. Moves do not change wage rates significantly for women and men that stay in employment in both countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mandel, Hadas (2012): Winners and losers: the consequences of welfare state policies for gender wage inequality. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 241-262. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcq061

Abstract

"Cross-national studies of the impact of welfare states on gender inequality tend to overlook socio-economic divisions among women. This article challenges the implicit assumption that welfare states have uniform effects on the economic attainments of women, arguing that the impact of state intervention is necessarily conditioned by women's relative advantage or disadvantage in the labour market. Based on Luxembourg Income Study microdata for 21 advanced countries, the paper analyses gender wage gaps among highly skilled and low skilled men and women. The findings suggest that welfare state policies interact with socio-economic position: they limit the economic rewards of highly skilled women, but do not adversely affect, and by some measures actually benefit, those who are less skilled. Highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of social policies for different groups of women, the article concludes that more research is needed to explore differentiated approaches to reconciling work and family, rather than addressing universal work - family tensions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Myrskylä, Mikko & Rachel Margolis (2012): Happiness: Before and after the kids. (MPIDR working paper 2012-013), Rostock, 43 S.

Abstract

"Understanding how having children influences the parents' subjective well-being ('happiness') has great potential to explain fertility behavior. Most prior research on this topic is limited in that it uses cross-sectional data or has not considered modifying factors. We study parental happiness trajectories before and after the birth of a child using large British and German longitudinal data sets. We account for unobserved parental characteristics using fixed effects models and study how sociodemographic factors modify the parental happiness trajectories. Overall, we find that happiness increases in the years around the birth of the first child, then decreases to before-child levels. Sociodemographic factors strongly modify this pattern. Those who have children at older ages and those with higher socioeconomic resources have more positive and lasting happiness response to a first birth than younger or less educated parents. We also find that although the first two children increase happiness, the third does not. The results are similar in Britain and Germany and suggest that up to two, children increase happiness, and mostly among those who postpone childbearing. This pattern, which is consistent with the behavior emerging during the second demographic transition, provides new insights into the factors behind low and late fertility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Scicchitano, Sergio (2012): The male-female pay gap across the managerial workforce in the United Kingdom. A semi-parametric decomposition approach. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 19, H. 13, S. 1293-1297. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2011.619488

Abstract

"Using the last wave of the Community Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey, this article employs a semi-parametric decomposition method to examine the male-female pay gap over the entire conditional wage distribution of the managerial workforce in the United Kingdom. The results make clear a U-shaped pattern for the pay gap, thus showing both significant sticky floor and glass ceiling effects. The counterfactual decomposition also displays that the gap is mostly due to the difference in rewards, whose relative effect grows as we move to the upper quantiles of the whole wage distribution." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Anghel, Brindusa, Sara de la Rica & Juan J. Dolado (2011): The effect of public sector employment on women's labour market outcomes. (IZA discussion paper 5825), Bonn, 62 S.

Abstract

"This paper addresses the role played by Public Sector (PS) employment across different OECD labour markets in explaining: (i) gender differences regarding choices to work in either PS or private sector, and (ii) subsequent changes in female labour market outcomes. To do so, we provide some empirical evidence about cross-country gender differences in choice of employment in the PS vs. the private sector, using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), in the light of different theories on gender behaviour in the labour market. We also analyze the main determinants of the hourly wage gaps across these two sectors for males and females separately. Finally, we document the main stylized facts about labour market transitions by male and female workers among inactivity, unemployment, working in the PS and working in the private sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bashir, Nadia, Richard Crisp, Tony Gore, Kesia Reeve & David Robinson (2011): Families and work. Revisiting barriers to employment. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 729), London, 90 S.

Abstract

"In recent years, considerable effort has been put into supporting parents to make the transition into work. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commissioned the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University to undertake a study to explore whether these incentives were helping parents to overcome the barriers known to impede their engagement in the formal labour market. The research focused on two main tasks; the re-analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews of parents from a previous study commissioned by DWP (Fletcher et al., 2008) focusing on the interaction between parenthood and work, and a series of additional interviews to explore issues not covered by the original interviews. The report outlines findings and policy implications on the following issues:
- full-time parenting and decisions about returning to work;
- job search and important considerations for parents;
- easing the transition to work - transitional and in-work benefits;
- experiences of work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brown, Sarah, Jennifer Roberts & Karl Taylor (2011): The gender reservation wage gap. Evidence from British panel data. (IZA discussion paper 5457), Bonn, 11 S.

Abstract

"Our findings suggest the existence of a gender reservation wage gap. The presence of children, particularly pre-school age children, plays an important role in determining the proportion of this gap that can be explained by individual characteristics. For individuals without children, the unexplained component of the differential is 99% compared to only 22% for those with pre-school age children, which might indicate that perceived discrimination in the labour market influences the reservation wage setting of females." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chatterji, Monojit, Karen Mumford & Peter N. Smith (2011): The public-private sector gender wage differential in Britain. Evidence from matched employee-workplace data. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 43, H. 26, S. 3819-3833. DOI:10.1080/00036841003724452

Abstract

"This article shows that little of the gender earnings gap in the public and private sectors in Britain are explained by differences in employee characteristics. The differences in workplace characteristics, however, make a significant, sizeable contribution. It is shown that performance related pay and company pension schemes are associated with higher relative earnings in the private sector, whilst increased provision of family-friendly employment practices in the public sector is associated with higher relative earnings for women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chzhen, Yekaterina & Karen Mumford (2011): Gender gaps across the earnings distribution for full-time employees in Britain. Allowing for sample selection. In: Labour economics, Jg. 18, H. 6, S. 837-844. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2011.05.004

Abstract

"This paper investigates gender differences across the log wage distributions of British employees working full-time in 2005. The raw gender wage gap shows a tendency to increase across the distribution with a glass ceiling effect indicated. A strong relationship between high skilled, white-collar occupations and carrying out managerial duties with the glass ceiling effect is indicated in the data. After allowing for positive selection into full-time employment by British women, a substantially larger gender earning gap is found: the selection corrected gender wage gap is close to twice the raw gap across most of the earnings distribution. This selection corrected gap is found to be predominantly related to women receiving lower rewards for their characteristics than men. Indeed, the results suggest the gender earnings gap would all but disappear across the earnings distribution if women working full-time received the same returns to their characteristics as men working full-time in Britain do." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coleman, Nick & Lorraine Lanceley (2011): Lone Parent Obligations. Supporting the journey into work. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 736), London, 161 S.

Abstract

"Under Lone Parent Obligations (LPO) some lone parents (depending on the age of their youngest child) are no longer eligible to continue receiving Income Support (IS) and will move to other destinations including Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
A survey of over 2,500 lone parents was undertaken between five and ten months prior to the end of their eligibility for IS when their youngest child is seven to determine their work-readiness and likely requirements in terms of future support. Research design and fieldwork were undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.
The findings describe lone parents':
- past employment;
- characteristics and circumstances including physical and mental health;
- self-perceived barriers to work;
- views on childcare and combining work with parenting.
This survey is one element of a comprehensive programme of evaluation research, using a mixed methods approach, to assess the effects of LPO.
" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dolton, Peter & Jeffrey Smith (2011): The impact of the UK new deal for lone parents on benefit receipt. (IZA discussion paper 5491), Bonn, 54 S.

Abstract

"This paper evaluates the UK New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) program, which aims to return lone parents to work. Using rich administrative data on benefit receipt histories and a 'selection on observed variables' identification strategy, we find that the program modestly reduces benefit receipt among participants. Methodologically, we highlight the importance of flexibly conditioning on benefit histories, as well as taking account of complex sample designs when applying matching methods. We find that survey measures of attitudes add information beyond that contained in the benefit histories and that incorporating the insights of the recent literature on dynamic treatment effects matters even when not formally applying the related methods. Finally, we explain why our results differ substantially from those of the official evaluation of NDLP, which found very large impacts on benefit exits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Griffiths, Rita (2011): Helping more parents move into work. An evaluation of the extension of New Deal Plus for Lone Parents and In Work Credit. Final report. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 732), London, 136 S.

Abstract

"This report presents findings from the second and final phase of a two part qualitative evaluation of a series of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) policy measures targeted at lone and couple parents, which aimed to increase parental employment as well as reduce child poverty.
The aim of the evaluation overall was to explore whether the measures offered an adequate package of support to parents, in London and non-London New Deal Plus for Lone Parents (ND+fLP) pilot areas, and if the measures, either collectively or singly, encouraged them to enter and sustain work.
This final phase of the research aimed to follow up issues raised in the first phase of the research (and published in a separate accompanying report). It examined the effects of In Work Credit (IWC) and other policy measures on parents' work-related decision making and behaviours, looking in particular at whether the measures encouraged and supported work entry, work retention and work progression. A related area of investigation explored how parents were able to balance work and childcare.
The research consisted of 66 face-to-face interviews with parents in two case study areas in the spring and summer of 2010 - 43 couple parents and 23 lone parents. Sixteen of the couple parents had been interviewed in the first phase of the research. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were also held with Jobcentre Plus staff in the two case study areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Huerta, Maria del Carmen, Willem Adema, Jennifer Baxter, Miles Corak, Mette Deding, Matthew C. Gray, Wen-Jui Han & Jane Waldfogel (2011): Early maternal employment and child development in five OECD countries. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 118), Paris, 52 S. DOI:10.1787/5kg5dlmtxhvh-en

Abstract

"More mothers with young children are in paid work than in the past. There is a long-running debate on possible negative effects of maternal employment on child development. For the first time, this paper presents an initial comparative analysis of longitudinal data on maternal employment patterns after birth on child cognitive and behavioural development. The paper examines data of five OECD countries with different types and intensity of support provided to families to reconcile work and family life. The evidence suggests that a return to paid work by mothers within six months after childbirth may have negative effects on child outcomes, particularly on cognitive development, but the effects are small and not universally observed. Other factors such as family income, parental education and quality of interaction with children have greater influences on child development than early maternal employment per se." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Michaud, Pierre-Carl & Konstantinos Tatsiramos (2011): Fertility and female employment dynamics in Europe. The effect of using alternative econometric modeling assumptions. In: Journal of Applied Econometrics, Jg. 26, H. 4, S. 641-668. DOI:10.1002/jae.1133

Abstract

We investigate the direct and long-run effects of fertility on employment in Europe, estimating dynamic models of labor supply under different assumptions regarding the exogeneity of fertility and modelling assumptions related to initial conditions, unobserved heterogeneity and serial correlation in the error terms. We find overall large direct and long-run effects of giving birth on employment probabilities, and these effects differ considerably across countries. We find that within countries the results are sensitive to the statistical assumption made on initial conditions, the inclusion of serial correlation and the assumption of strict exogeneity of children. However, the pattern across countries is robust to these assumptions. We show that such patterns are largely consistent with prevailing institutional differences related to the flexibility of the labor markets and family policies.

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Olivetti, Claudia & Barbara Petrongolo (2011): Gender gaps across countries and skills. Supply, demand and the industry structure. (CEP discussion paper 1093), London, 42 S.

Abstract

"The gender wage gap varies widely across countries and across skill groups within countries. Interestingly, there is a positive cross-country correlation between the unskilled-to-skilled gender wage gap and the corresponding gap in hours worked. Based on a canonical supply and demand framework, this positive correlation would reveal the presence of net demand forces shaping gender differences in labor market outcomes across skills and countries. We use a simple multi-sector framework to illustrate how differences in labor demand for different inputs can be driven by both within-industry and between-industry factors. The main idea is that, if the service sector is more developed in the US than in continental Europe, and unskilled women tend to be over-represented in this sector, we expect unskilled women to suffer a relatively large wage and/or employment penalty in the latter than in the former. We find that, overall, the between-industry component of labor demand explains more than half of the total variation in labor demand between the US and the majority of countries in our sample, as well as one-third of the correlation between wage and hours gaps. The between-industry component is relatively more important in countries where the relative demand for unskilled females is lowest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Breen, Richard & Leire Salazar (2010): Has increased women's educational attainment led to greater earnings inequality in the United Kingdom? A multivariate decomposition analysis. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 26, H. 2, S. 143-157. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcp011

Abstract

"It is widely believed that the growth in women's educational attainment and their increasing labour force participation, together with educational homogamy, will lead to greater inequality between households in their earnings. In this article, we use data from the United Kingdom to test that assertion. We use a new method of decomposing the change in household earnings inequality, and this allows us to identify effects associated with women's increasing educational attainment and consequential changes in their propensity to marry, in educational assortative mating and in labour-force participation. We find that changes in women's education and their behavioural consequences account for little if any of the growth in earnings inequality between households in the United Kingdom during the closing decades of the 20th century." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dick, Penny (2010): The transition to motherhood and part-time working. Mutuality and incongruence in the psychological contracts existing between managers and employees. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 508-525. DOI:10.1177/0950017010371648

Abstract

"In this article, the psychological contract existing between line managers and employees is examined in the context of the transition to motherhood and reduced hours or part-time working. The article argues that professional work norms, including working long hours and being ever-available, operate to legitimise the reduction in career development opportunities that accompanies the transition from full to part-time work in professionalised occupations. On one level, therefore, these norms generate mutuality between managers and employees. When combined with demands of motherhood, however, they fundamentally influence how each party interprets their obligations to each other, generating incongruity and, potentially, a breach of the psychological contract. These arguments are illustrated with the use of case study data collected from part-time police officers and their managers in three UK police forces. The theoretical and practical implications of this analysis are developed and discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gash, Vanessa, Antje Mertens & Laura Romeu Gordo (2010): Women between part-time and full-time work: The influence of changing hours of work on happiness and life-satisfaction. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 268), Berlin, 42 S.

Abstract

"This paper asks whether part-time work makes women happy. Previous research on labour supply has assumed that as workers freely choose their optimal working hours on the basis of their innate preferences and the hourly wage rate, outcome reflects preference. This paper tests this assumption by measuring the impact of changes in working-hours on life satisfaction in two countries (the UK and Germany using the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Survey). We find decreases in working-hours bring about positive and significant improvement on well-being for women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Halwachs, Inga (2010): Frauenerwerbstätigkeit in Geschlechterregimen. Großbritannien, Frankreich und Schweden im Vergleich. Wiesbaden: VS, Verl. für Sozialwissenschaften, 266 S.

Abstract

"Obwohl die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter gesetzlich verankert ist, sind Frauen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt sowie in anderen Bereichen des öffentlichen und privaten Lebens nach wie vor mit Benachteiligungen aufgrund ihres Geschlechts konfrontiert. Dies zeigt sich bspw. in der Unterrepräsentativität von Frauen in Führungspositionen, geschlechtsspezifischen Einkommensdifferenzen sowie weiteren hier untersuchten Aspekten. Wie also wird die weibliche Erwerbstätigkeit in den hier untersuchten Ländern Großbritannien, Frankreich und Schweden gefördert, um Benachteiligungen zu kompensieren und den Ursachen entgegenzuwirken? Die Autorin analysiert und vergleicht zur Beantwortung dieser Frage die Arbeitsmarktpolitik sowie weitere politische und gesellschaftliche Bereiche der Wohlfahrtsstaatsregime sowie den darin eingebetteten Geschlechterregimen und stellt hierzu die These auf, dass die Quantität und Qualität der Strategien zur Frauenförderung vom jeweiligen Typus des Geschlechterregimes abhängen und sich die Wohlfahrtsstaaten in ihrer Politik hinsichtlich sozialer Sicherung sowie in ihren arbeitsmarktpolitischen Instrumenten einander annähern, da auf EU-Ebene vereinheitlichte Regelungen in Bezug auf Geschlechtergleichstellung vorgegeben werden, die Einfluss auf die Frauenerwerbstätigkeit nehmen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Haux, Tina (2010): Activating lone parents. An evidence-based policy appraisal of the 2008 welfare-to-work reform in Britain. (ISER working paper 2010-29), Colchester, 22 S.

Abstract

"The recent welfare-to-work reform requires lone parents with older children to be available for work. This article examines the likely effect of this reform and the proposed extension with regards to the employment rate of lone parents. It is argued that it will not lead to the desired increase in the employment rate of lone parents as the target group is too small and the levels of multiple disadvantages within the group too high. Indeed, 'ability to work' cannot be equated with the age of the youngest child but needs to take into account the characteristics of lone parents as well." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Manning, Alan & Farzad Saidi (2010): Understanding the gender pay gap. What's competition got to do with it? In: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Jg. 63, H. 4, S. 681-698.

Abstract

"A number of researchers have argued that men and women have different attitudes toward and behavioral responses to competition; that is, women are more likely to opt out of jobs in which performance pay is the norm. Laboratory experiments suggest that these gender differences are rather large. To check these hypotheses and findings against differences in the field, the authors use performance pay as an indicator of competition in the workplace and compare the gender gap not only in incidence of performance pay but also in earnings and work effort under these contracts. They find that although women are less likely than men to work under performance pay contracts, the gender gap is small. Furthermore, the effect of performance pay on earnings is modest and does not differ markedly by gender. Consequently, the authors argue, the ability of these competition hypotheses to explain the gender pay gap seems very limited." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Sigle-Rushton, Wendy (2010): Men's unpaid work and divorce. Reassessing specialization and trade in British families. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 16, H. 2, S. 1-26. DOI:10.1080/13545700903448801

Abstract

"Economists have spent a good deal of time examining and trying to explain the positive association between female employment and divorce. However, in doing so, they have paid very little attention to the behavior of men. This paper addresses that oversight. Using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study - a study conducted at a time when gendered specialization was the normative household arrangement for families with small children and when economic theories of marriage and divorce were first being developed - this study considers whether and how fathers' contributions to unpaid work are associated with divorce. Information on fathers' involvement in domestic work and childcare permits a deeper exploration of the relationship between mother's employment and divorce. Contrary to what gains from specialization and trade predict, the findings suggest that fathers' home production stabilizes marriage regardless of mothers' employment statuses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Yerkes, Mara (2010): Diversity in work. The heterogeneity of women's employment patterns. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 17, H. 6, S. 696-720. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2009.00462.x

Abstract

"Employment patterns are gender-driven, yet analyses of women's employment have yet to explain this diversity across time. This article examines the variation in women's employment patterns across time and across countries. It focuses on the effects of individual differences in educational level, marital status and motherhood in The Netherlands, Germany and the UK across four birth cohorts for the period 1992 - 2002. The results from a quantitative study using panel data confirm the diversity in women's employment. At the same time, cross-country variation is evident. While the results of this study confirm the diversity evident in women's employment patterns, they also attempt to explain the nature of this diversity. The analyses presented in this article demonstrate that the diversity in women's employment is persistent, yet dynamic. Furthermore, the diversity in employment is clearly marked by the division between parental and non-parental employment, which has important implications for our theoretical understanding of women's employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Bowlus, Audra J. & Louise Grogan (2009): Gender wage differentials, job search, and part-time employment in the UK. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 61, H. 2, S. 275-303. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpn038

Abstract

"Gender wage differentials in the UK are examined using a general equilibrium search model. This framework permits an assessment of male-female differences in labour market behaviour on gender wage differentials. The model captures worker decisions leading to transitions between labour market states and jobs, and firm responses to such transitions via wage offers. Special attention is paid to part-time workers, who have substantially less labour market attachment than full-time workers. The results indicate labour market behaviour differences play a role in determining gender wage differentials within education levels. The importance of these differences varies by education level and hours of work. These findings have implications for policies aimed at reducing gender wage differentials, and for researchers assessing the causes of gender wage differentials in situations where a large fraction of women work part-time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Chzhen, Yekaterina & Karen A. Mumford (2009): Gender gaps across the earnings distribution in Britain. Are women bossy enough? (IZA discussion paper 4331), Bonn, 32 S.

Abstract

"This paper investigates gender differences between the log wage distributions of fulltime British employees in the public and private sectors. After allowing for positive selection into full-time employment by women, we find significant and substantial gender earnings gaps, and evidence of glass ceilings, in both sectors. The earnings gaps amongst the higher income earners are found to be related to there being a scarcity of senior women in high skilled, white-collar occupations, especially in the public sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Connolly, Sara & Mary Gregory (2009): The part-time pay penalty. Earnings trajectories of British women. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 61, H. S1, S. i76-i97. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpn043

Abstract

"Part-time work among British women is extensive, and the (raw) pay penalty large. Since part-time work features most prominently when women are in their 30s, the peak childcare years and a crucial period for career building, its impact on subsequent earnings trajectories is important from a social as well as individual perspective. We find that part-time work experience gives a very low return in future earnings, particularly when acquired in lower-skill jobs. In addition, one-quarter of women in high-skill jobs downgrade occupationally on switching to part-time work, rising to 43% among those who also change employer. In combination these effects give an immediate earnings drop of 32%, followed by a permanently lower trajectory. It is these accompanying changes, rather than part-time status itself, which damage earnings. Return to full-time work, even with reversal of the occupational downgrading, brings only a partial recovery; without it the earnings losses continue to grow." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cooke, Thomas J., Paul Boyle, Kenneth Couch & Peteke Feijten (2009): A longitudinal analysis of family migration and the gender gap in earnings in the United States and Great Britain. In: Demography, Jg. 46, H. 1, S. 147-167. DOI:10.1353/dem.0.0036

Abstract

"This article uses longitudinal data for the United States and Great Britain to examine the impact of residential mobility and childbirth on the earnings of women, their family earnings, and the related division of earnings by gender. This project is the first to compare explicitly the impact of childbirth and family migration on women's earnings, and it extends prior cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on isolated countries by providing a direct contrast between two major industrialized nations, using comparable measures. The results indicate that families respond in similar ways in both countries to migration and childbirth. In response to both migration and childbirth, women's earnings fall at the time of the event and recover slowly afterward, but the magnitude of the impact is roughly twice as large for childbirth as for migration. However, migration -- but not the birth of a child -- is also associated with a significant increase in total family earnings because of increased husbands' earnings. As a result, the effect of migration on the relative earnings of wives to husbands is similar to the effect of childbirth. These results suggest that family migration should be given consideration in the literature on the gender earnings gap." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Damme, Maike van, Matthijs Kalmijn & Wilfred Uunk (2009): The employment of separated women in Europe. Individual and institutional determinants. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 25, H. 2, S. 183-197. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcn042

Abstract

"Studies on the economic consequences of divorce for women have paid little attention to changes in employment. In this article, we investigate changes in employment for separating women and the impact of individual and institutional factors on these changes using data on 13 countries from the European Community Household Panel (1994-2001). Our dynamic analyses of the odds of employment entry and exit, and changes in working hours demonstrate that European women only modestly increase employment after separation, although in some countries this change is larger than in others. Important individual-level determinants of employment changes are education and labour market experience (positive effects), health (positive effect), and the presence of young children (negative effect). Institutional factors have opposing influences: more generous public childcare provisions encourage the employment of separated women, whereas more generous allowances for single parents discourage employment. The results underline the importance of distinguishing between income- and employment-related institutions in studying outcomes of union dissolution." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Dieckhoff, Martina & Nadia Steiber (2009): In search of gender differences in access to continuing training. Is there a gender training gap and if yes, why? (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. Discussion papers SP 1 2009-504), Berlin, 35 S.

Abstract

"Geschlechterunterschiede im Zugang zu beruflicher Weiterbildung gelten weiterhin als wichtige Ursache weiter bestehender Ungleichheiten zwischen den Geschlechtern in Bezug auf deren Chancen am Arbeitsmarkt und deren beruflichen Erfolg. Allerdings schaffen empirische Studien bis dato keine Klarheit darüber, ob bzw. welche Geschlechterunterschiede im Weiterbildungsverhalten tatsächlich bestehen. Die vorliegende Analyse untersucht, auf Basis harmonisierter Survey-Daten des European Social Survey 2004, berufsbezogene Weiterbildungsaktivitäten in Europa und testet eine Reihe von mikroökonomischen und soziologischen Theorien (z.B. Humankapitaltheorie, Geschlechtersegregation am Arbeitsmarkt, Diskriminierung durch den Arbeitgeber etc.), die häufig zur Erklärung von Geschlechterunterschieden in der Teilnahme an Weiterbildung herangezogen werden. Der Beitrag untersucht die Mechanismen, die einem potenziell geschlechtsspezifischen Teilnahmeverhalten an beruflicher Weiterbildung zugrunde liegen. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse zeigen, dass männliche Arbeitnehmer, ceteris paribus, häufiger an berufsbezogener Weiterbildung teilnehmen als weibliche Arbeitnehmer. Als Fazit kann festgestellt werden, dass die vorherrschenden theoretischen Ansätze mehr Erklärungskraft für das Weiterbildungsverhalten von Männern als für jenes von Frauen haben. Vor allem in Bezug auf weibliches Weiterbildungsverhalten bei Präsenz von Betreuungspflichten für kleine Kinder zeigen sich vorherrschende Erklärungsmodelle als wenig valid." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Drolet, Marie & Karen A. Mumford (2009): The gender pay gap for private sector employees in Canada and Britain. (IZA discussion paper 3957), Bonn, 36 S.

Abstract

"Country-specific factors, such as the wage setting environment, are important determinants in explaining the relative size of the gender wage gap. This paper uses British and Canadian linked employer-employee data to investigate the importance of the workplace for the gender wage gap. Our main findings are that the unadjusted gender earnings gaps are similar between the two countries and that women, especially older women, are disproportionately represented in low-wage workplaces. Workplace effects, however, reduce the wage gap by 14.5% in Canada and increase the gap by 3.2% in Britain." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fouarge, Didier & Ruud Muffels (2009): Working part-time in the British, German and Dutch labour market. Scarring for the wage career? In: Schmollers Jahrbuch, Jg. 129, H. 2, S. 217-226. DOI:10.3790/schm.129.2.217

Abstract

"The paper studies the long-term effect of part-time employment on the wage career using panel data for three countries. The main idea is to study the possible 'scarring' effects of part-time employment on future hourly wages up to ten years later in the career. Fixed effects panel wage regressions show the existence of a part-time wage penalty for females in all three countries and for males in the UK. Longer durations of part-time result in stronger negative wage effects. In the UK, a negative effect of past part-time employment is also found to persist even after a lasting transition to a fulltime job. The fact that the effect of part-time on wage is larger in the UK suggests that wage penalties, contrary to what could be expected, are smaller in regulated labour markets with a specific skills regime." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Grant, Linda (2009): Women's disconnection from local labour markets. Real lives and policy failure. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 330-350. DOI:10.1177/0261018309105174

Abstract

"This paper is based on research amongst women living in England who are on the margins of the labour market. It analyses why current policy works so inadequately for this group of women, whose existence is often marked by poverty and social exclusion. It emphasizes the significance of the reality of women's lived experiences and the nature of local labour markets, and discusses how and why policy fails to respond to these. Women lack bespoke support and are channelled into 'women's jobs', perpetuating gender inequalities in employment and reinforcing precarious relationships with the labour market. In addition, the effect of the key ideas underpinning policy, in particular 'welfare dependency' and a 'work first' orientation, is to distort the responses to women claimants and to ignore the needs of non-claimant women returners. In conclusion the paper argues that current policy both overlooks the specificity of women's labour market disconnection and contributes to its reproduction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gregg, Paul, Susan Harkness & Sarah Smith (2009): Welfare reform and lone parents in the UK. In: The economic journal, Jg. 119, H. 535, S. F38-F65. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02226.x

Abstract

"A series of reforms to help low income families with children were introduced in the UK in 1999, including in-work tax credits and welfare-to-work programmes. Lone parents were a key target for these reforms - they comprised 22% of all families by 1998 but 55% of families with children in poverty. Previous studies have shown that the reforms raised employment among lone parents. This article extends the analysis of the effect of the reforms to consider employment dynamics, including hours adjustments, and a broader range of outcomes including partnership and indicators of well-being among lone mothers and their children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

MacGinnity, Frances, Philip J. O'Connell, Kate Hunt, Elin Kvande, Carol Emslie, Tracey Warren, Cecile Guillaume, Jacqueline H. Watts, Gillian Pascall, Sigtona Halrynjo, Sophie Pochic, Elizabeth Fox & Helen Russell, MacGinnity, Frances, Philip J. O'Connell, Kate Hunt, Elin Kvande, Carol Emslie, Tracey Warren, Cecile Guillaume, Jacqueline H. Watts, Gillian Pascall, Sigtona Halrynjo, Sophie Pochic, Elizabeth Fox & Helen Russell (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2009): Work-life Balance. A matter of choice? In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 16, H. 1, S. 1-172. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2008.00429.x

Abstract

"Existing literature casts the work-life interface in terms of three issues: time management; inter-role conflict (role overload and interference) and care arrangements for dependents. This special issue looks through a gender lens at the ways in which both men and women negotiate the relationship between work and home life, particularly when they have caring responsibilities at home. It explores the relationship between formal policies and their impact on men and women's ability to effect a choice in shaping their careers and their day-to-day commitments." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku)

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Lohmann, Henning, Frauke H. Peter, Tine Rostgaard & Stephen P. Jenkins (2009): Towards a framework for assessing family policies in the EU. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 88), Paris, 94 S. DOI:10.1787/223883627348

Abstract

"This report presents the results of a first attempt to create a framework for assessing the performance of national family policies. The report is part of a joint EU and OECD project, which aims to help the EU Government Expert Group on Demographic Issues in evaluating national family policies. The idea behind the framework is that it allows individual countries to compare their overall performance in the area of family policies with the performance of other countries. The main focus of the report is policies for families with smaller children. The framework provides a set of cross-nationally comparable indicators on contexts, policy measures, and outcomes, organised on a systematic basis. The policy measure indicators presented in the report cover leave schemes, early childhood education and care, family benefits and workplace policies. The indicators build upon, interalia, previous work by the OECD in various studies on family-friendly policies that were carried out on a cross-national basis using different sets of indicators. Most of these indicators are today available in the OECD Family Database. Wherever the OECD Family Database contains indicators for the majority of EU member states and OECD countries, these data have been used in the present study. Otherwise, data from other cross-national databases have been included. Each indicator in the framework is presented as a single-standing indicator in the general absence of scientific consensus on different aggregation weights. In the report no explicit ranking of countries has been attempted, instead the relative position of countries has been illustrated with the help of standard deviation scores. In the last part of the report the linkages between policy aims and the various context, outcome and policy measures are indicated, which help construct 'score cards'. This 'score card-approach' is illustrated for three countries: Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. The report offers tools for assessment that may be developed further, and should offer an approach to using the OECD Family Database, acknowledging this unique data source for cross-country comparisons in the field of family policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Mumford, Karen & Peter N. Smith (2009): What determines the part-time and gender earnings gaps in Britain. Evidence from the workplace. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 61, H. S1, S. i56-i75. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpn041

Abstract

"This study examines the role of individual and workplace characteristics in accounting for differences in hourly earnings between men and women in full and part-time jobs in Britain. A four-way gender-working time split (male full-timers, male part-timers, female full-timers, and female part-timers) is analysed, and allowance is explicitly made for workplace and occupational female segregation. Within gender groups, the striking difference between full and part-time employees is that full-timers work in higher paying occupations than do part-timers. Also, female occupational segregation makes a significant contribution to the earnings gap between male and female part-time employees but not for full-time workers. A further new result is that female workplace segregation contributes significantly to the full/part-time earnings gap of both males and females. Part-time employees work in more feminized workplaces and their earnings are lower. There remains, moreover, a substantial residual gender earnings gap between male and female employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Takhtamanova, Yelena & Eva Sierminska (2009): Gender, moentary policy, and employment. The case of nine OECD countries. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 15, H. 3, S. 323-353. DOI:10.1080/13545700902893122

Abstract

"In many countries, low and stable inflation is the focus of monetary policy. Recent empirical evidence from developing countries indicates, however, that the costs of reducing inflation are disproportionately borne by women. This paper seeks to determine whether a similar pattern is evident in nine Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries, using quarterly data for 1980-2004. The study examines economy-wide and sectoral employment effects by gender by utilizing two methodologies: single equation regression and vector autoregression analysis. Results indicate that the link between monetary policy instruments (short-term interest rates) and employment in the industrial countries under investigation is weak and does not vary by gender." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Verropoulou, Georgia & Heather Joshi (2009): Does mother's employment conflict with child development? Multilevel analysis of British mothers born in 1958. In: Journal of population economics, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 665-692. DOI:10.1007/s00148-007-0157-4

Abstract

"Does maternal employment, while children are very young, affect their development? We link cognitive and behavioral scores of school-aged children to mothers' employment during preschool years using virtually unique data for two generations in the 1958 British birth cohort. Our multivariate, multilevel model controls for mothers' own cognitive and behavioral scores in childhood. Results are mixed and minor, confirming other British studies at mid-childhood. Reading is, significantly, slightly poorer where less educated mothers work in the child's first year of life. We found few other interactions with employment but did detect intergenerational transmission of behavioral and cognitive characteristics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Webb, Janette (2009): Gender and occupation in market economies. Change and restructuring since the 1980s. In: Social Politics, Jg. 16, H. 1, S. 82-110. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxp003

Abstract

"This paper compares employment restructuring, gender, and occupational change in Japan, Sweden, the UK, and the USA, since the 1980s. Its analytical framework is derived from feminist debates about the relative influence of political-economic skill regimes and cultural ideologies of gender on occupational sex segregation. In each country, the shift towards services has further concentrated men's dominance of employment in extractive and transformative industries. Pre-existing patterns of occupational segregation between the sexes have not however been universally reinforced. A degree of occupational upgrading has facilitated women's movement into a growing range of professional and managerial occupations, but the extent of economic opportunity for women is not a simple function of labor market economics. The social-democratic, egalitarian values and policies of Sweden, for example, seem to have offered greater economic benefits to women than the more individualized, liberalized labor market policies of the UK. In conclusion, it is argued that gender and markets are mutually constitutive; their evolution is not pre-given but subject to political choices informed by history and culture." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Winder, Katie L. (2009): Flexible scheduling and the gender wage gap. In: The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, Jg. 9, H. 1, S. 1-27. DOI:10.2202/1935-1682.2197

Abstract

"Using British data from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, the author examines whether and how the relationship between schedule flexibility and wages differs by gender. Using a basic measure of whether the worker has discretion over the start and end times of work, men have more than twice the wage return to flexibility than do women, even within the same firm and detailed occupation. This difference cannot be explained by differences in household responsibilities or by differences in part time work by gender, but gender differences in job authority and autonomy do matter. Differences in the wage returns to this type of flexibility account for 10% of the gender wage gap, which suggests that understanding the underlying cause for the disparity in the returns to flexibility is important for understanding the policy implications of promoting flexible work arrangements." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Zabel, Cordula (2009): Eligibility for maternity leave and first birth timing in Great Britain. In: Population Research and Policy Review, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 251-270. DOI:10.1007/s11113-008-9098-1

Abstract

Der Beitrag untersucht die Auswirkung der Mutterschaftsgesetzgebung auf den Zeitpunkt der Erstgeburt in Großbritannien. Als der Mutterschaftsurlaub 1976 in Großbritannien eingeführt wurde, war Voraussetzung für die Anspruchberechtigung von Vollzeitbeschäftigten, dass diese mindesten zwei Jahre beim gleichen Arbeitgeber beschäftigt waren. Auf der Basis von Daten des British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) untersucht der Beitrag, ob Frauen die erste Geburt gemäß der geforderten Beschäftigungszeit aufschoben. Es wurden höhere Übergangsraten zur Erstgeburt für diejenigen ermittelt, die genügend Beschäftigungszeit bei ihrem Arbeitgeber angesammelt hatten, um sich für den Mutterschaftsurlaub zu qualifizieren, als für diejenigen, die in diesem Sinne noch nicht qualifiziert waren. Unklar bleibt jedoch das kausale Verhältnis zwichen Mutterschaftsgesetzgebung und dem Zeitpunkt der Erstgeburten, da die Übergangsraten zur Erstgeburt schon vor 1976 begannen, je nach Beschäftigungsdauer auseinanderzuklaffen. (IAB)

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Bardasi, Elena & Janet C. Gornick (2008): Working for less? Women's part-time wage penalities across countries. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 14, H. 1, S. 37-72. DOI:10.1080/13545700701716649

Abstract

"This paper investigates wage gaps between part- and full-time women workers in six OECD countries in die mid-1990s. Using comparable micro-data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), for Canada, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the US, die paper first assesses cross-national variation in the direction, magnitude, and composition of the part-time/full-time wage differential. Then it analyzes variations across these countries in occupational segregation between part- and full-time workers. The paper finds a part-time wage penalty among women workers in all countries, except Sweden. Other than in Sweden, occupational differences between part- and full-time workers dominate the portion of the wage gap that is explained by observed differences between die two groups of workers. Across countries, the degree of occupational segregation between female part- and full-time workers is negatively correlated with die Position of part-time workers' wages in the full-time wage distribution." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barnes, Matt, Nick Lyon & Jane Millar (2008): Employment transitions and the changes in economic circumstances of families with children. Evidence from the Families and Children Study (FACS). (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 506), London, 106 S.

Abstract

"This report uses longitudinal data from the Families and Children Study (FACS) to explore the impact of movements in and out of paid employment on the economic circumstances of families with children. It uses two indicators of economic circumstances: income poverty and living standards hardship. The latter is a measure combining information on the ability of families to afford various consumer durables and leisure items, quality of housing and the state of family finances. The report looks at the impact of moving into work for one and two years, and moving out of work, on these indicators. The circumstances of families who were receiving in-work tax credits are also examined, as far as the data allows." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berrington, Ann, Yongjian Hu, Peter W. F. Smith & Patrick Sturgis (2008): A graphical chain model for reciprocal relationships between women's gender role attitudes and labour force participation. In: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A, Statistics in Society, Jg. 171, H. 1, S. 89-108. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-985X.2007.00510.x

Abstract

"We use a graphical chain model to investigate the reciprocal relationships between changes in women's labour force participation following entry into parenthood and changes in gender role attitude. Results suggest that attitudes are not fixed and that revision of these attitudes in the light of recent life course events is an important process. The adaptation of attitudes to events appears to be stronger than the selection of individuals on the basis of attitudes. We show that it is not entry into parenthood as such, but the change in economic activity that is related to this event that is associated with attitude change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Betzelt, Sigrid (2008): Activation policies from a gender-sensible citizenship perspective. A tentative analytical framework. (ZeS-Arbeitspapier 2008/03), Bremen, 35 S.

Abstract

"Das Papier entwickelt einen vorläufigen Analyserahmen für den systematischen Vergleich unterschiedlicher Typen von Aktivierungspolitiken im Hinblick auf ihre Implikationen für das Wohlfahrtsdreieck zwischen Staat-Markt-Familie und Geschlechterungleichheiten. Ausgangspunkt ist die Erkenntnis, dass das inzwischen universell gültige arbeitsmarktpolitische 'Aktivierungsparadigma', d. h. die (Re-)Kommodifizierung aller erwerbsfähigen Bürgerinnen und Bürger, die Wohlfahrtsproduktion der Familie insofern betrifft als es mit der vor allem von Frauen unbezahlt geleisteten Sorgearbeit für Angehörige kollidiert. Auf dem theoretischen Hintergrund sozialer BürgerInnenrechte wird angenommen, dass diese unbezahlte Sorgearbeit weder vollständig kommodifiziert und de-familialisiert werden kann, noch dass dies gesellschaftlich wünschenswert ist. Vielmehr bedeutet die Idee einer 'inklusiven sozialen Staatsbürgerschaft' wie sie in der feministischen Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung entwickelt wurde, dass sie sowohl Erwerbs- als auch Sorgeverantwortung aller Bürger und Bürgerinnen als Basis für Anerkennung und Subsistenzrechte einschließt. Ausgehend von diesem dem Aktivierungsparadigma inhärenten Spannungsverhältnis werden zwei zentrale Forschungsfragen formuliert: Erstens, wie beantworten die unterschiedlichen Ländervarianten von Aktivierungspolitik dieses Spannungsverhältnis und welche Interdependenzen bestehen zwischen Wohlfahrts- und Gender-Regimen und dem spezifischen Aktivierungstyp? Zweitens, was sind die Ergebnisse dieses Zusammenspiels im Hinblick auf soziale Ungleichheiten besonders von Geschlecht und Klasse und hinsichtlich der Idee sozial inklusiver Staatsbürgerschaft? Um diese Fragen für die vergleichende Forschung zu operationalisieren, wird ein vorläufiger Analyserahmen vorgeschlagen, der sieben relevante Dimensionen und entsprechende Indikatoren für deren Messung und Bewertung enthält. Dieses Analyseinstrument wurde für eine Fallstudie deutscher Aktivierungspolitik angewendet, deren zentrale Befunde im Licht vergleichender Forschung diskutiert werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Blackwell, Louisa & Judith Glover (2008): Women's scientific employment and family formation. A longitudinal perspective. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 15, H. 6, S. 579-599. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00385.x

Abstract

"We focus here on the retention of highly qualified women scientists in science-based employment in England and Wales. Using linked Census records from the Longitudinal Study 1971-1991 we show that women's education and employment rates in science, engineering and technology increased somewhat, although some fields show persistently low representation. We then compare retention in employing women with health-related degrees with that of women with degrees in science, engineering and technology, showing that the latter group has markedly lower retention rates. Those who stay on in science-based employment have children later than other types of graduate and their rates of non-motherhood are higher. Four-fifths of women in health-related occupations were mothers, compared to only two-fifths in science, engineering and technology. Our findings have implications for policymakers who wish to make best use of the knowledge base: attention should be paid to retention, as well as the more usual focus on qualifications and recruitment. The findings also suggest the potential for institutionally based theories to explain why highly qualified women have such low retention rates in science-based employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Bryan, Mark L. & Almudena Sevilla Sanz (2008): Does housework lower wages and why? Evidence for Britain. (ISER working paper 2008-03), Colchester, 36 S.

Abstract

"Women working full-time in the UK earn on average about 18% per hour less than men (EOC, 2005). Traditional labour economics has focussed on gender differences in human capital to explain the gender wage gap. Although differences in male and female human capital are recognized to derive from different household responsibilities over the life cycle, there is also a lesser-studied and more direct effect of household activities on wages. In a broad economic sense, household activities require effort, which decreases labour market productivity and thus wages. This paper first documents the relationship between housework and wages in Britain and applies a variety of econometric techniques to pin down the effect of housework on wages. It further explores what dimensions of housework are at the root of the relationship between housework and wages. After controlling for unobserved heterogeneity, we find a negative effect of housework on wages for married female workers, but not for single workers or married male workers. We argue that the factors behind the relationship between housework and wages are the type and timing of housework activities as much as the actual time devoted to housework." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Burgess, Simon, Paul Gregg, Carol Propper & Elizabeth Washbrook (2008): Maternity rights and mothers' return to work. In: Labour economics, Jg. 15, H. 2, S. 168-201. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2005.05.010

Abstract

"This paper uses a cohort of 12,000 births to examine the effect of maternity rights on mothers' post-birth return to employment decisions. It uses a discrete hazard model to disentangle the effects of the terms of maternity rights entitlements from other factors that influence the timing of a mother's return to work. Mothers with rights have an underlying (but unobserved) stronger attachment to the labour market that prompts earlier return than on average. We take this into account by estimating a counterfactual distribution of return times using a sample of women who failed to qualify for maternity rights but who have similar levels of labour market attachment. Even when differential attachment is taken into account there remains a substantial impact of maternity rights on behaviour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Casarico, Alessandra & Alessandro Sommacal (2008): Labor income taxation, human capital and growth. The role of child care. (CESifo working paper 2363), München, 32 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies the implications of introducing child care in the human capital production function when assessing the effects of labor income taxation on growth. We develop an OLG model where formal schooling and child care enter the human capital production function as complements and we compare it with a model where only formal schooling matters for skill formation. Using a numerical analysis we find that, depending on the quality of child care services relative to parental care, the omission of child care from the technology of skills' formation can significantly bias the results related to the effects of labor income taxation on growth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cebulla, Andreas, Guilio Flore & David Greenberg (2008): The new deal for lone parents, lone parent work focused interviews and working families' tax credit. A review of impacts. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 484), London, 102 S.

Abstract

"This research report compares the findings of a number of published evaluations of New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP), Lone Parent Work Focused Interviews (LPWFIs) and Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC). These policies have all been subject to separate evaluations at different points in time between 2003 and 2006. The aims of this evaluation were to: bring the wealth of evidence together into a single, comprehensive report; consider the range of impact estimates available; report on the effectiveness of the policies. The impact assessments have typically used different methods and impact indicators, so a key aspect of reconciling the evidence was to establish the extent to which the different estimates were compatible. The research was also concerned with extracting information from the existing studies about the interaction or linkages between the policies, including the impact of LPWFIs on referrals to NDLP." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Davies, Rhys & Richard Welpton (2008): How does workplace monitoring affect the gender wage differential? analysis of the annual survey of hours and earnings and the 2004 workplace employment relations survey. A research note. In: British Journal of Industrial Relations, Jg. 46, H. 4, S. 732-749. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8543.2008.00700.x

Abstract

"This paper outlines the development of a new data source that combines workplace information from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) with employee data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Illustrative analysis of the gender wage differential demonstrates how the inclusion of additional workplace characteristics collected from WERS can be utilized to understand better-observed patterns in earnings within ASHE. Analysis reveals that monitoring gender equality at the workplace is not associated with a reduction in the gender wage gap. Matching WERS/ASHE provides the opportunity to investigate a wider range of workplace phenomena than would be possible based only upon the WERS Survey of Employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Del Boca, Daniela, Silvia Pasqua & Chiara Pronzato (2008): Market work and motherhood decisions in contexts. (IZA discussion paper 3303), Bonn, 28 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, we explore the impact of social policies and labour market characteristics on women's decisions regarding work and childbearing, using data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). We estimate the two decisions jointly and, in addition to personal characteristics, include variables related to the childcare system, parental leave arrangements, family allowances, and labour market flexibility. Our empirical results show that a non-negligible portion of the differences in participation and fertility rates for women from different European countries can be attributed to the characteristics of these institutions, and that the environmental effects vary by educational level. While labour market arrangements, such as part-time opportunities (when well-paid and protected), have a larger impact on the outcomes of women with higher educational levels, childcare and optional parental leaves have a larger impact on the fertility and participation decisions of women at lower educational levels." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Goodwin, Vicki (2008): The effects of benefit sanctions on lone parents' employment decisions and moves into employment. (Department of Work and Pensions. Research report 511), London, 110 S.

Abstract

"This research report presents findings from a qualitative study specifically designed to explore the effects of benefit sanctions on lone parents' employment decisions and moves into employment. Forty lone parents who had been referred for a sanction following non-attendance at a Work Focused Interview (WFI) were interviewed in depth. Focus groups were also carried out with Jobcentre Plus staff. The report addresses the four overarching objectives for the research: to explore the personal circumstances of lone parents referred for a sanction and how they manage their finances; to determine awareness of the sanctioning process amongst lone parents who have experienced sanctions; to explore the experiences of lone parents living with benefit sanctions; and to ascertain if, after receiving a sanction, lone parents are more likely to consider moving off benefit, or actually move off benefit." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

James, Laura (2008): United by gender or divided by class? Women's work orientations and labour market behaviour. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 15, H. 4, S. 394-412. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00367.x

Abstract

"Recent debates on the relationship between women's work orientations and their labour market behaviour have been marked by a polarization between those who emphasize personal choice and those who argue that constraint is equally, if not more, important. However, in both approaches 'orientation' is understood primarily as a choice between prioritizing paid work or family (understood almost exclusively in terms of childcare responsibilities) for all women regardless of socioeconomic class. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interview data, this article outlines some of the similarities and differences in the work orientations of women in professional/managerial, intermediate and routine/manual socioeconomic classes in Oxford. It develops the concept of 'work orientation' to include the meaning of paid work as well as labour market behaviour for women with and without children. The data presented here suggest that there are important class-based differences in women's attitudes and that apparently similar work orientations may have very different causes and labour market consequences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

La Valle, Ivana, Elizabeth Clery & Mari Carmen Huerta (2008): Maternity rights and mothers' employment decisions. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 496), London, 248 S.

Abstract

"In 2003, both the level and length of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) were increased. UK legislation has also considerably improved access to family-friendly arrangements, including paid paternity and adoption leave, unpaid emergency and parental leave and the right to request flexible working arrangements. The report presents take-up of these maternity entitlements and family-friendly arrangements and explores how they affect the mothers' employment trajectories after child birth. It provides the opportunity to consider how the policy changes on maternity rights and maternity benefits, introduced in April 2003, might have affected mothers' employment decisions after childbirth. This study was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and involved face-to-face interviews (conducted between February and May 2007) of just under 2,000 mothers whose children were aged between 12 and 18 months and who had worked at some point in the 12 months before the baby's birth. The survey achieved a 70 per cent response rate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Moss, Peter & Marta Korintus (Hrsg.) (2008): International review of leave policies and related research 2008. (Employment relations research series 100), London, 383 S.

Abstract

"This report is about leave entitlements, mainly for workers with dependant children. As the report shows, working parents today in most countries are entitled to a range of different types of leave, going under a variety of different names. Moreover, in a number of countries the distinction between types of leave is increasingly blurred. This report is produced by an international network on leave policy and research, consisting of over 40 experts from 24 countries, mostly in Europe. The network covers policies for parents and others with care responsibilities, including for adult relatives, as well as policies available to the whole population such as life course career breaks and time accounts. But initially, priority is being given to leave policies focused on the care of children. Among the purposes of this network are: the exchange of information about policies, both in individual countries and by international organisations, and research on leave policies; the provision of a forum for the cross-national discussion of issues and trends in policy and research; and providing a source of regularly updated information on policies and research, including:
- the three-year leave period: too long or not?
- employers' perspectives and involvement and
- policies to increase fathers' use of leave." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Schmitt, Christian (2008): Gender-specific effects of unemployment on family formation. A cross-national perspective. (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 841), Berlin, 75 S.

Abstract

"This paper investigates the impact of unemployment on the propensity to start a family. Unemployment is accompanied by bad occupational prospects and impending economic deprivation, placing the well-being of a future family at risk. I analyze unemployment at the intersection of state-dependence and the reduced opportunity costs of parenthood, distinguishing between men and women across a set of welfare states. Using micro-data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), I apply event history methods to analyze longitudinal samples of first-birth transitions in France, Finland, Germany, and the UK (1994-2001). The results highlight spurious negative effects of unemployment on family formation among men, which can be attributed to the lack of breadwinner capabilities in the inability to financially support a family. Women, in contrast, show positive effects of unemployment on the propensity to have a first child in all countries except France. These effects prevail even after ontrolling for labour market and income-related factors. The findings are pronounced in Germany and the UK where work-family conflicts are the cause of high opportunity costs of motherhood, and the gender-specific division of labour is still highly traditional. Particularly among women with a moderate and low level of education, unemployment clearly increases the likelihood to have a first child." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Solera, Christina (2008): Combining marriage and children in paid work. Changes across cohorts in Italy and Great Britain. (ISER working paper 2008-22), Colchester, 50 S.

Abstract

"This paper compares Italy and Great Britain and uses event history data and methods to investigate changes across cohorts in the effect of family responsibilities on women's transitions in and out of paid work. My findings show that women's attachment to paid work has increased and that education and/or class has marked the divide, as predicted by human capital theory. However, the effects of marriage and motherhood are, ceteris paribus, stronger in a residualist-liberal welfare regime such as the British one. In Italy, where demand for labour is relatively low and gender role norms are quite traditional, reconciliation policies are weak but largely compensated by intergenerational and kinship solidarity, fewer women enter paid work, but when they do so, they interrupt less when becoming wives or mothers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Blundell, Richard, Amanda Gosling, Hidehiko Ichimura & Costas Meghir (2007): Changes in the distribution of male and female wages accounting for employment composition using bounds. In: Econometrica, Jg. 75, H. 2, S. 323-363.

Abstract

"This paper examines changes in the distribution of wages using bounds to allow for the impact of nonrandom selection into work. We show that worst case bounds can be informative. However, because employment rates in the United Kingdom are often low, they are not informative about changes in educational or gender wage differentials. Thus we explore ways to tighten these bounds using restrictions motivated from economic theory. With these assumptions, we find convincing evidence of an increase in inequality within education groups, changes in educational differentials, and increases in the relative wages of women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Blundell, Richard, Mike Brewer, James Browne, Peter Haan, Michal Myck & Viktor Steiner (2007): Optimal in-work support and employment in ageing societies. Britain and Germany compared. London, 57 S.

Abstract

"How would the current tax-benefit systems in Britain and Germany have to be reconstructed in order to allow the labour market to cope with ageing societies in these two countries? How could tax-benefit systems help to raise the level of employment by alleviating long-term unemployment, discouraging early retirement and raising the labour market participation of women? These vital policy questions are analysed by the authors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Brown, Richard & Lucy Joyce (2007): New deal for lone parents. Non-participation qualitative research. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 408), London, 82 S.

Abstract

"The New Deal for Lone Parents programme is part of the Government's 'Welfare to Work' agenda and is designed to help lone parents move closer to the labour market and into work. Participation in the programme is voluntary. Previous survey findings have suggested that the majority of those that do not take part in the programme are unable to provide specific reasons for non-participation. This report explores this phenomenon and tries to establish the reasons for non-participation. The research consisted of in-depth interviews with lone parents and lone parent advisers as well as focus groups; and observations of Work Focused Interviews. The research was conducted by BMRB Social Research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Chatterji, Monojit, Karen A. Mumford & Peter N. Smith (2007): The public-private sector gender wage differential. Evidence from matched employee-workplace data. (IZA discussion paper 3158), Bonn, 31 S.

Abstract

"Using new linked employee-workplace data for Britain in 2004, we find that the nature of the public private pay gap differs between genders and that of the gender pay gap differs between sectors. The analysis shows that little none of the gender earnings gap in both the public and private sector can be explained by differences in observable characteristics. Decomposition analysis further reveals that the contribution of differences in workplace characteristics to the public private earnings gap is sizeable and significant. Whilst the presence of performance related pay and company pension schemes is associated with higher relative earnings for those in the private sector, an important workplace characteristic for the public private pay gap is the presence of family-friendly employment practices. Increased provision is especially associated with higher relative earnings in the public sector for women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Connolly, Sara & Mary Gregory (2007): Part-time employment can be a life-time setback for earnings. A study of British women 1975-2001. (IZA discussion paper 3101), Bonn, 30 S.

Abstract

"Two particular features of the position of women in the British labour market are the extensive role of part-time work and the large part-time pay penalty. Part-time work features most prominently when women are in their 30s, the peak childcare years and, particularly for more educated women, a crucial period for career building. This makes it essential to understand its impact on women's subsequent earnings trajectories. We find that the wage return to part-time experience is low - negligible in lower skill occupations. Even more important channels contributing to the pay disadvantage of women working part-time are job changing, particularly when this involves occupational downgrading. Downgrading can lead to a permanent pay disadvantage for women following a spell in part-time work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Dickey, Heather (2007): Regional earnings inequality in Great Britain. Evidence from quantile regressions. In: Journal of regional science, Jg. 47, H. 4, S. 775-806.

Abstract

"The increase in national earnings inequality in Great Britain over the last two decades has predominantly been a result of increasing earnings inequality within the regions of Great Britain, and not rising inequality between regions. However, there is a severe lack of empirical research exploring the evolution of earnings inequality within regions. This paper investigates the causes of rising within-region inequality in Great Britain. It examines the changes that have taken place between 1976 and 1995, and regional quantile regressions are estimated to reveal those factors that have contributed to the rise in within-region inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Figari, Francesco, Herwig Immervoll, Horacio Levy & Holly Sutherland (2007): Inequalities within couples. Market incomes and the role of taxes and benefits in Europe. (IZA discussion paper 3201), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"In spite of there being few elements of tax or cash benefit systems in developed countries that are any longer explicitly gender-biased in a discriminatory sense, it is well recognised that they have significant gender effects. To the extent that women earn less than men on average under tax-benefit systems that are progressive, there is some redistribution from men to women overall. However, an aggregate perspective is insufficient for understanding how earning opportunities and public policies affect living arrangements at the family level in general and the circumstances of men and women in particular. Arguably, it is within the household that a gendered division of labour is most relevant. It is difficult to observe how income and other resources get allocated within households. We can, however, observe the incomes brought into the household and to what extent taxes and benefits mitigate (or indeed exacerbate) any inequality of income between men and women. We explore the effects of tax and benefit systems on differences in income and in incentives to earn income between men and women within couples in a selection of the member countries of the European Union (EU) using EUROMOD, the EU tax-benefit microsimulation model. This comparative perspective allows us to establish the relative effects of different policy regimes, given the underlying characteristics of each national population, using a consistent approach and set of incidence assumptions across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Francesconi, Marco & Wilbert van der Klaauw (2007): The socioeconomic consequences of "in-work" benefit reform for British lone mothers. In: The Journal of Human Resources, Jg. 42, H. 1, S. 1-31.

Abstract

"In October 1999, the British government enacted the Working Families' Tax Credit, which aimed at encouraging work among low-income families with children. This paper uses panel data collected between 1991 and 2001 to evaluate the effect of this reform on single mothers. We find that the reform led to a substantial increase in their employment rate of about five percentage points, which was driven by both a higher rate at which lone mothers remained in the labor force and a higher rate at which they entered it. Women's responses were highly heterogeneous, with effects double this size for mothers with one preschool-aged child, and virtually no effect for mothers with multiple older children. The employment increase was accompanied by significant increases in paid childcare utilization and our analysis in fact suggests that the generous childcare credit component of the reform played a key role in explaining the estimated employment and childcare usage responses. We also find that the increase in labor market participation was accompanied by reductions in single mothers' subsequent fertility and in the rate at which they married, behavioral responses, which in turn are likely to influence the reform's overall impact on child poverty and welfare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Francesconi, Marco, Helmut Rainer & Wilbert van der Klaauw (2007): The effects of in-work benefit reform in Britain on couples. Theory and evidence. (IZA discussion paper 2980), München, 75 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines the effects of the Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC) on couples in Britain. We develop a simple model of household decisions which explicitly accounts for the role played by the tax and benefit system. Its main implications are then tested using panel data from the British Household Panel Survey collected between 1991 and 2002. Overall, the financial incentives of the reform had negligible effects on a wide range of married mothers' decisions, such as eligible (working at least 16 hours per week) and full-time employment (working at least 30 hours per week), employment transitions, childcare use, and divorce rates. Women's responses, however, were highly heterogeneous, depending on their partners' labour supply and earnings. Mothers married to low-income men showed larger responses in employment, especially if they had younger children. They were more likely to remain in the labour force and had higher rates at which they entered it. While more likely to receive the tax credit, they also experienced a greater risk of divorce. We find virtually no effect for women with higher-income husbands. Likewise, there are no statistically significant responses among married men." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Geyer, Johannes & Viktor Steiner (2007): Short-run and long-term effects of childbirth on mothers' employment and working hours across institutional regimes. An empirical analysis based on the European community household panel. (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 682), Berlin, 24 S.

Abstract

"The employment behavior of mothers is strongly influenced by labor market regulations and certain institutional arrangements, which both vary greatly across European countries. Using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) 1994-2001 for Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which represent four distinct 'institutional regimes', we estimate the short-run and long-term effects of childbirth on married women's employment and working hours. Estimation results show that these effects vary across the four countries in accordance with prevailing institutional regulations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Geyer, Johannes & Viktor Steiner (2007): Short-run and long-term effects of childbirth on mothers' employment and working hours across institutional regimes. An empirical analysis based on the European community household panel. (IZA discussion paper 6293), Bonn, 33 S.

Abstract

"The employment behavior of mothers is strongly influenced by labor market regulations and certain institutional arrangements, which both vary greatly across European countries. Using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) 1994-2001 for Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which represent four distinct 'institutional regimes', we estimate the short-run and long-term effects of childbirth on married women's employment and working hours. Estimation results show that these effects vary across the four countries in accordance with prevailing institutional regulations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gregg, Paul, Maria Gutierrez-Domenech & Jane Waldfogel (2007): The employment of married mothers in Great Britain, 1974-2000. In: Economica, Jg. 74, H. 296, S. 842-864. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0335.2006.00574.x

Abstract

"This paper analyses the increase in mothers' employment in Britain over 1974-2000 using the General Household Survey. We isolated those birth cohorts whose mothers experienced significant increases in employment and compared those increases to changes in policies. The results suggest that maternity rights have had a profound effect an employment, but this effect varies by the wage opportunities of mothers. Maternity rights have induced a behaviour change in when mothers return to work. Many who previously would not have gone back to work until their children were age 3-5 are now returning to work within the first year. This effect has been most marked among better educated and higher paid mothers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Grover, Chris (2007): The Freud Report on the future of welfare to work. Some critical reflections. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 534-545. DOI:10.1177/0261018307081812

Abstract

"In December 2006 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced a review of welfare to work policies in Britain. This was led by the investment banker, David Freud who reported in March 2007. This paper examines the report, particularly focusing upon broad issues - relationships between unemployment, worklessness and capitalism and gender issues - that are central to understanding the report's analysis and recommendations. It is argued that the report's general thrust dovetails neatly with New Labour's fixation with supply-side economics and its approach to exclusion that suggests paid work is the mark of the responsible and included individual, an approach that draws upon and reproduces capitalist and patriarchal patterns and structures of paid work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hales, Jon, Sarah Tipping & Nick Lyon (2007): Mothers' participation in paid work. The role of 'mini-jobs'. (Department of Work and Pensions. Research report 467), London, 152 S.

Abstract

"In late 2005 and early 2006, there was a gap of 15 percentage points in the rate of participation in paid work by mothers, according to whether they lived in a family with a partner or were living as a lone parent. Around half of this gap is a reflection of it being more common for mothers in couple families to work in a job where their hours are between one and 15 per week, referred to as 'mini-jobs'. Previous research into 'mini-jobs' had identified a pattern of working in which mothers moved from not working at all, through a transitional period in a 'mini-job', to working 16 hours or more per week. One of the primary aims of this research was to consider how big a phenomenon is the use of 'mini-jobs' in moving into work of longer hours compared to other routes out of not working. The research was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and involved secondary analysis of the Families and Children Study survey. The analysis used data for five waves, covering the period from 2001 to 2005. FACS is a panel survey involving annual interviews which tracks families over time. It started in 1999 and is representative of families in Britain." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hasluck, Chris & Anne E. Green (2007): What works for whom? A review of evidence and meta-analysis for the department for work and pensions. (Department for Work and Pensions. Research report 407), London, 164 S.

Abstract

"This report reviews the current stock of Department for Work and Pensions evaluation evidence in order to identify which interventions have worked most effectively for key customer groups: young people; long-term unemployed adults; older benefit claimants; lone parents; partners of benefit claimants; disabled people and people with health conditions; ethnic minorities; and the most disadvantaged. In addition to a detailed review for each of the customer groups covering contextual issues, type of provision, aspects of delivery and 'what works', a number of key findings of generic relevance emerged. Such issues include the diversity of the population of customers for whom provision is made and what they look for in interventions, the central role of the Personal Adviser in the success of interventions and the importance of motivation of the individual customer in the effectiveness of any form of provision. The importance of job search activity, of working with employers and the state of the labour markets and the nature of jobs available is highlighted also. The evidence presented in the review could be used to inform decisions about the appropriate type of provision to suit customers and local labour markets in a context of a more decentralised approach to the delivery of interventions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hieming, Bettina, Karen Jaehrling, Thorsten Kalina, Claudia Weinkopf, Damian Grimshaw, Jill Rubery, Nirit Schimron & Oleksandr Stupnytskyy (2007): Frauen in "einfachen" Tätigkeiten. Brüssel, 97 S.

Abstract

"Die Studie 'Frauen in 'einfachen' Tätigkeiten' bezieht sich auf drei Länder: die Tschechische Republik, Deutschland and Großbritannien. In Teil 1 geben wir einführend einen Überblick zur Frauenbeschäftigung in den drei Ländern sowie die Rolle der Teilzeitarbeit und ausgewählte Elemente der institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen. In Teil 2 stehen die Charakteristika der Arbeitsplätze im Vordergrund, die die in den meisten Fällen steigende Erwerbsneigung von Frauen absorbieren und es wird analysiert, welche Tätigkeiten und Branchen für die Frauenerwerbstätigkeit besonders wichtig sind. Insbesondere wird untersucht, in welchem Ausmaß ausgewählte Tätigkeiten Beschäftigungswachstum aufweisen und inwieweit dies (gering qualifizierten) Frauen Beschäftigungschancen eröffnet. In Teil 3 wird die Qualität der Arbeitsplätze genauer unter die Lupe genommen. In Teil 4 identifizieren wir mögliche Ansatzpunkte für Maßnahmen, die auf eine Erhöhung der sozialen Wertschätzung und der Qualität von 'einfachen' Arbeitsplätzen für Frauen abzielen, und beschreiben 13 Beispiele guter Praxis aus den drei Ländern. Abschließend werden in Teil 5 aufbauend auf den Ergebnissen unserer Analysen Schlussfolgerungen und Empfehlungen gegeben, die sich auf Entlohnung, industrielle Beziehungen, Qualifizierung, Arbeitszeitflexibilität und Work-Life Balance sowie das gesellschaftlich Ansehen und die Arbeitsmarktpolitik beziehen. Insgesamt sprechen unsere Ergebnisse dafür, dass der Blick nicht alleine auf eine quantitative Ausweitung von Einfacharbeit gerichtet werden darf. Vielmehr muss das gesamte Qualifikationsspektrum in den Blick genommen und der Qualität der Beschäftigung mehr Beachtung geschenkt werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Joshi, Heather, Gerry Makepeace & Peter Dolton (2007): More or less unequal? Evidence on the pay of men an women from the british birth cohort studies. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 14, H. 1, S. 37-55. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00331.x

Abstract

"Gender pay differences are not merely a problem for women returning to work and part-time employees, but also for those in full-time, continuous careers. In data from cohort studies, the gender wage gap for full-time workers in their early thirties fell between 1978 and 2000. This equalization reflects improvements in women's education and experience rather more than a move towards equal treatment. Indeed, had the typical woman full-timer in 2000 been paid at men's rates she would have actually received higher pay than the typical man. Within one cohort, passing from age 33 to 42, gender inequality increased. This was partly due to differences in the qualifications and experience of the women in employment at those points, but unequal treatment also rose among women employed full time at both ages." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lanzi, Diego (2007): Capabilities, human capital and education. In: The Journal of Socio-Economics, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 424-435. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.005

Abstract

"Using recent advancements in the Capability Approach, we firstly characterize capabilities as fuzzy entities, and then propose a closed loop, where investments in human capital, capabilities and modes of economic production are combined. We argue that, given the complex relations between human capital accumulation and capability enlargements, educational policies have to be designed to include their direct and indirect effects on human development. In doing this, the United Nations Development Program's capacity development principles can be a useful reference point. These principles are consistent with the Capability Approach view of education as an empowerment process, in which not only job-oriented, but also life-oriented skills are provided. Moreover, the capacity development principles suggest how to organize educational policies operatively in order to give people crucial capabilities. Finally, we argue that network organizations are possible environments in which educational policies can be implemented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Leschke, Janine (2007): Gender differences in unemployment insurance coverage. A comparative analysis. (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. Discussion papers SP 1 2007-106), Berlin, 57 S.

Abstract

"Da soziale Sicherungssysteme auf sogenannte Normalarbeitsverhältnisse (Vollzeit, unbefristet, abhängig) ausgerichtet sind und häufig von Bedarfsprüfungen Gebrauch machen, reproduzieren sie Geschlechterungleichheiten im Arbeitsmarkt, die auf Grund der ungleichen Verteilung von Haushalts- und Familienaufgaben zwischen Frauen und Männern zustande kommen. So sind Frauen beispielsweise weit häufiger in Teilzeit beschäftigt, sie wechseln häufiger zwischen Beschäftigung und Inaktivität und verdienen weiterhin durchschnittlich geringere Löhne als Männer. Das Papier vergleicht auf Basis der Daten des Europäischen Haushaltspanels den Deckungsgrad und die Höhe von Arbeitslosenversicherungsleistungen zwischen Frauen und Männern. Unterschiede im Zugang zu Arbeitslosenversicherungsleistungen werden unter anderem durch die folgenden Charakteristika von Arbeitslosenversicherungssystemen bestimmt: Einkommens- oder Stundenschwellenwerte, Mindestbeitragszeiten und Bedarfsprüfungen. Die Höhe der Leistungen hängt in vielen Systemen von der Höhe der vormaligen Arbeitseinkommen ab, wird aber bei Langzeitarbeitslosen häufig auch durch Bedarfsprüfungen bestimmt. Da die Arbeitslosenversicherungssysteme unterschiedlicher Länder in ihren Zielsetzungen und in ihrer Ausgestaltung variieren, werden hier vier verschiedene Systeme verglichen: das dänische, das deutsche, das spanische und das britische Arbeitslosenversicherungssystem. Es wird erwartet, dass die Unterschiede zwischen Frauen und Männern im Zugang zu Arbeitslosenversicherungsleistungen in Ländern mit einem stark individualisierten Versicherungssystem (Dänemark) kleiner sind als in Ländern, die frühzeitigen und strikten Gebrauch von Bedarfsprüfungen (Vereinigtes Königreich) machen oder die auf starker Äquivalenz zwischen Beitragszeiten und vormaligem Einkommen und Leistungsempfang (Deutschland, Spanien) beruhen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Misra, Joya, Michelle J. Budig & Stephanie Moller (2007): Reconciliation policies and the effects of motherhood on employment, earnings and poverty. In: Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Jg. 9, H. 2, S. 135-155. DOI:10.1080/13876980701311588

Abstract

"We examine the consequences of welfare state strategies on women's economic outcomes in ten countries. These strategies are 1) the primary caregiver strategy, focused on valuing women's care work; 2) the primary earner strategy, focused on encouraging women's employment; 3) the choice strategy, which provides support for women's employment or caregiving for young children; and 4) the earner-carer strategy, focused on helping men and women balance both care and employment. We analyze the effects of motherhood and marital status on employment rates, annual earnings, and poverty rates. Our study suggests that the strategy taken by the earner-carer strategy may be most effective at increasing equality for both married and single mothers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Mumford, Karen A. & Peter N. Smith (2007): Assessing the importance of male and female part-time work for the gender earnings gap in Britain. (IZA discussion paper 2981), München, 49 S.

Abstract

"This study examines the role of individual characteristics, occupation, industry, region, and workplace characteristics in accounting for differences in hourly earnings between men and women in full and part-time jobs in Britain. A four-way gender-working time split (male full-timers, male part-timers, female full-timers and female part-timers) is considered, and allowance is explicitly made for the possibility of both workplace and occupational segregation across each group. Individual and workplace characteristics are shown to explain much of the earnings gaps examined. Within gender groups, the striking difference between full and part-time employees is that full-timers work in higher paying occupations than do part-timers. Also, occupational segregation makes a significant contribution to the earnings gap between male and female part-time employees but not for full-time workers. A further new result is that female workplace segregation contributes significantly to the full/part time earnings gap of both males and females. Part-time employees work in more feminised workplaces and their earnings are lower. By contrast, occupational segregation has little impact on the full-time/part-time earnings gap of either males or females. There remains, moreover, a substantial residual gender effect between male and female employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Paull, Gillian (2007): Partnership transitions and mothers' employment. (Department of Work and Pensions. Research report 452), London, 136 S.

Abstract

"This report presents findings from secondary analysis of the Families and Children Study (FACS) and British Household Panel Study (BHPS), measuring partnership dynamics amongst mothers and exploring the impact of partnership breakdown and (re)partnering on family employment status. Both surveys collect information on partnership and employment histories, with spells dated by calendar month, and data from the two surveys have been used in a combined form." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Ray, Kathryn, Sandra Vegeris, Sheere Brooks, Verity Campbell-Barr, Lesley Hoggart, Karen Mackinnon & Isabel Shutes (2007): The lone parents pilots. A qualitative evaluation of quarterly work focused interviews (12+), work search premium and in work credit. (Department for Work and Pension. Research report 423), London, 132 S.

Abstract

"The study is a qualitative evaluation of three pilot initiatives that were introduced in selected Jobcentre Plus districts in 2004. The pilots (Quarterly Work Focused Interviews (QWFIs (12+)), Work Search Premium (WSP) and In Work Credit (IWC)) aim to encourage and sustain work among non-working lone parents, providing extra support to supplement the New Deal for Lone Parents. The qualitative research was undertaken in six Jobcentre Plus districts and comprised in-depth interviews with Jobcentre Plus staff and customers. The study explores: lone parent and staff experiences and views of the three pilots; their perceptions of the impact of the pilots on lone parents' work entry and work retention; the work journeys of lone parents and the role of the pilots at different stages of the work journey: receptivity to work, work preparation and in-work trajectories. The implications for policy are discussed and recommendations made." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Sigle-Rushton, Wendy & Jane Waldfogel (2007): Motherhood and women's earnings in Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic Countries. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 13, H. 2, S. 55-91. DOI:10.1080/13545700601184849

Abstract

"The earnings of mothers make up an important, but difficult to quantify, component of parental expenditures on children. This paper compares the long-term earnings of women with children, women without children, and men. The study conducts separate analyses for less educated, moderately educated, and highly educated people in eight Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic countries. The study finds that, for the most part, these countries cluster into three groups, with mothers in the Continental European group experiencing the largest earnings differentials, mothers in the Nordic group experiencing the smallest, and mothers in the Anglo-American countries occupying the middle position." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Sigle-Rushton, Wendy & Jane Waldfogel (2007): The incomes of families with children. A cross-national comparison. In: Journal of European social policy, Jg. 17, H. 4, S. 299-318. DOI:10.1177/0958928707082474

Abstract

"Using data on seven countries, we estimate trajectories in family incomes for families with and without children following several stylized life-courses. Focusing mainly on women with a medium level of education, we find, in general, that gaps in family income are smallest in the Nordic countries, intermediate in the Anglo-American countries, and largest in the continental European countries. Our findings are similar to patterns observed in the literature on family gaps in women's earnings and suggest that differences in earnings and labour market participation between women with different family histories are the major driver in the gaps in gross and disposable incomes that we observe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Thornley, Carole (2007): Working part-time for the state. Gender, class and the public sector pay gap. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 14, H. 5, S. 454-475. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00360.x

Abstract

"This article explores the role and nature of disadvantages associated with part-time working in perpetuating the gender pay gap in the public sector. It does so by means of a detailed case study of local government workers in the UK, with particular reference to the more than one and a half million local government service workers covered by National Joint Council bargaining arrangements. The article draws from original pay data analysis and national survey work conducted by the author. It argues that little has changed since the findings reported 20 years ago by Beechey and Perkins with respect to the disadvantages experienced by part-time workers and the 'construction' of employment in gendered ways. However, the role of class may have been understated in previous accounts: class fractions in gender-segregated employment continue to hold deep significance and provide some potential for solidaristic approaches by trade unions alongside traditional 'equality' initiatives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Tomlinson, Jennifer (2007): Employment regulation, welfare and gender regimes. A comparative analysis of womens's working-time patterns and work-life balance in the UK and the US. In: The international journal of human resource management, Jg. 18, H. 3, S. 401-415. DOI:10.1080/09585190601167466

Abstract

Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über Arbeitszeitmuster erwerbstätiger Frauen und Mütter in den beiden neoliberalen Wohlfahrtsstaaten Großbritannien und den USA. Zur Erklärung der länderspezifischen Unterschiede zwischen Voll- und Teilzeit-Quoten erwerbstätiger Mütter wird ein Ansatz entwickelt, der wohlfahrtsstaatliche Regelungen, Spielarten des Kapitalismus und das Geschlechterverhältnis einbezieht. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden die institutionellen Strukturen in beiden Ländern verglichen, insbesondere die Regulierung von Vollzeit- und Teilzeitarbeit sowie der Sozialeistungen. Hierdurch werden unterschiedliche positive bzw. negative Anreizsysteme für Teilzeitarbeit erwerbstätiger Mütter geschaffen, wobei Teilzeitarbeit als Möglichkeit betrachtet wird, eine bessere Vereinbarkeit zwischen Beruf und Familie zu finden. Für Großbritannien wird eine Inkonsistenz zwischen dem Ziel stärkerer Frauenerwerbsbeteiligung und den mangelnden institutionellen Strukturen, um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, herausgearbeitet. Fehlende Kinderbetreuungsmöglichkeiten und die schlechte Qualität von Teilzeitarbeitsplätzen sind typisch für Großbritannien. Für die USA werden weniger Inkonsistenzen festgestellt. Hier wird ein striktes neoliberales Modell verfolgt, in dem Vollzeitarbeit als Standard gilt, auch für erwerbstätige Mütter. (IAB)

Zitatform

Yeo, Alasdair (2007): Experience of work and job retention among lone parents. An evidence review. (Department for Work and Pensions. Working paper 37), London, 64 S.

Abstract

"This paper explores lone parents' experiences of work and job retention. Improving job retention rates is seen as an important element in meeting the Government's target of a 70 per cent employment rate for lone parents by 2010. A better understanding of the issue of job retention was developed by reviewing the content and evaluations of the New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP), Work Focused Interviews (WFIs) and other related DWP and non-DWP reports. The factors influencing lone parents leaving work and conversely, the factors associated with lone parents staying in-work, are explored. The current policies and pilots aimed at improving job retention for lone parents in the UK are examined; international policies are also scrutinised, enabling cross-national comparisons to be drawn. This analysis informed the development of a framework to understand types of policy initiatives. This framework is then used to analyse the UK's policies and pilots with regard to job retention and to develop further proposals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"90 Prozent aller Mitgliedsstaaten der Internationalen Arbeitsorganisation (ILO) haben inzwischen die Kernarbeitsnormen gegen Diskriminierung ratifiziert und sich damit zur Verabschiedung entsprechender Gesetze verpflichtet. Doch Gesetze allein reichen nicht aus, um Diskriminierung wirksam zu bekämpfen. Der Bericht lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit von Regierungen und Sozialpartnern auch auf neue Formen der Diskriminierung, die noch zu wenig Beachtung finden - beispielsweise aufgrund von Alter, HIV/AIDS, eines ungesunden Lebensstils oder der Wahrscheinlichkeit bestimmter genetischer Krankheiten. Die meisten Fälle von Diskriminierung aber betreffen nach wie vor Frauen. Die ILO betont in ihrem Bericht daher die herausragende Bedeutung von Maßnahmen zur besseren Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf. So sollten familienfreundliche Maßnahmen nicht nur Frauen, sondern auch Männern offen stehen. In einigen Ländern, wie Island und Dänemark, wurden bestimmte Maßnahmen gezielt für Männer vorgesehen, beispielsweise ein besonderer Kinderbetreuungsurlaub nur für Männer. Nur wenn deutlich gemacht werde, dass die Wahrnehmung von Familienpflichten durch Männer sozial gewollt und akzeptiert wird, könne ein notwendiger Umdenkprozess stattfinden. Auch die Sozialpartner könnten durch entsprechende Ausgestaltung von Tarifverträgen einen Beitrag leisten, etwa indem Erziehungspausen nicht zu einer niedrigeren Einstufung führen. In Deutschland werden Frauen immer noch weniger eingestellt, rücken seltener in Führungspositionen und verdienen deutlich weniger als Männer. So beträgt das Lohngefälle zwischen Frauen und Männern laut dem Gleichstellungsbericht der EU-Kommission 22 Prozent, womit Deutschland in der EU auf dem viertletzten Platz landet. Auch die EU nennt die schlechte Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf als zentrales Hindernis auf dem Weg zu mehr Gleichberechtigung.
Weitere Empfehlungen der ILO zur Bekämpfung der Diskriminierung weltweit:
- Gesetzgebung, die nicht nur Diskriminierung verbietet, sondern aktiv Ziele zur Förderung der Gleichberechtigung setzt;
- Unterstützung der Sozialpartner, um Gleichstellungsfragen in der Tarifpolitik zu verankern;
- gezielte Arbeitsmarktpolitik zur Förderung und Einbindung benachteiligter Gruppen;
- Bindung der öffentlichen Auftragsvergabe an die Einhaltung des Diskriminierungsverbots;
- Einrichtung von Antidiskriminierungskommissionen beziehungsweise Kommissionen für Lohngleichheit;
- Förderung der Lohngerechtigkeit auf betrieblicher Ebene durch 'Kartierung' der Lohnstruktur, um Lohndiskrepanzen sichtbar zu machen und abzubauen;
- Einbindung von Gleichstellungsmaßnahmen in die Länderprogramme der ILO für menschenwürdige Arbeit ebenso wie in die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, die staatliche Kreditvergabe und Investitionsförderpolitik." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)