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Mikkel, Barslund & Schomaker Lea (2019): Grandparental childcare and parent's labour supply. Evidence from Europe. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 68, H. 4, S. 371-391. DOI:10.3790/sfo.68.4.371

Abstract

"Wir untersuchen die Auswirkungen der Kinderbetreuung von Großeltern auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot der Eltern in zwölf europäischen Ländern die in SHARE vertreten sind im Zeitraum 2004 - 2015. Ein instrumentalvariabler Ansatz wird verwendet, um mit der Endogenität umzugehen. Der Zugang zu Großeltern, die sich um kleine Kinder kümmern, erhöht die Bereitschaft von Müttern zur Arbeit um 13 Prozentpunkte. Für Väter lassen sich keine Effekte feststellen. Das Ausmaß der Auswirkungen von großelterlicher Kinderbetreuung unterscheidet sich von Land zu Land, ist jedoch für die meisten untersuchten Länder von Bedeutung. Der Effekt ist für Kinder im Vorschulalter am größten, wird jedoch bei Frauen mit Kindern in der Altersgruppe von 8 bis 10 Jahren immer noch auf 8 Prozentpunkte geschätzt. Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass Mütter mit niedrigem Bildungsstand größere Auswirkungen haben, allerdings ist der Unterschied gering. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die anhaltende Politik zur Verlängerung des Erwerbslebens von Arbeitnehmern in der Altersgruppe von 55 bis 64 Jahren die Bindung von Müttern am Arbeitsmarkt beeinträchtigen könnte, indem die zur Verfügung stehende Zeit für großelterliche Kinderbetreuung begrenzt wird. Eine erhöhte Verfügbarkeit von Kindergarten- und Kindergarteneinrichtungen kann die Auswirkungen auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot von Müttern zwar vermindern, aber nicht vollständig auflösen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Persson, Petra & Maya Rossin-Slater (2019): When dad can stay home: Fathers' workplace flexibility and maternal health. (NBER working paper 25902), Cambrige, Mass., 63 S. DOI:10.3386/w25902

Abstract

"While workplace flexibility is perceived to be a key determinant of maternal labor supply, less is known about fathers' demand for flexibility or about intra-household spillover effects of flexibility initiatives. This paper examines these issues in the context of a critical period in family life - the months immediately following childbirth - and identifies the impacts of paternal access to workplace flexibility on maternal postpartum health. We model household demand for paternal presence at home as a function of domestic stochastic shocks, and use variation from a Swedish reform that granted new fathers more flexibility to take intermittent parental leave during the postpartum period in a regression discontinuity difference-in-differences (RD-DD) design. We find that increasing the father's temporal flexibility reduces the risk of the mother experiencing physical postpartum health complications and improves her mental health. Our results suggest that mothers bear the burden from a lack of workplace flexibility - not only directly through greater career costs of family formation, as previously documented - but also indirectly, as fathers' inability to respond to domestic shocks exacerbates the maternal health costs of childbearing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reshid, Abdulaziz Abrar (2019): The gender gap in early career wage growth. The role of children, job mobility and occupational mobility. In: Labour, Jg. 33, H. 3, S. 278-305. DOI:10.1111/labr.12148

Abstract

"During the first 10 years in the Swedish labor market, male university graduates experience a faster wage growth than females. We investigate the role job and upward occupational mobility have for the creation of gender difference in early career wage growth; and the role of motherhood as an underlying mechanism. We find that although men and women change jobs and occupations at the same rate, women receive a significantly lower wage returns to mobility than men. We find evidence that women's lower return to occupational mobility is largely explained by motherhood, while the evidence for job mobility is rather weak." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Rueda-Cantuche, José Manuel, Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova & Nuno Sousa (2019): Female participation in EU exporting activities: jobs and wages. (DG Trade Chief Economist note / European Commission 2019-3), Brüssel, 21 S.

Abstract

"This analysis sheds new insights on the gender-balance of the employment opportunities supported by extra-EU exports. It shows that in 2017 more than 13 million female workers in the EU had jobs thanks to the exports of goods and services to the rest of the world. However, there is a gender gap when it comes to the employment prospects offered by extra-EU exports: only 38% of the jobs dependent on exports to the world are taken up by women. The analysis suggests that such gender gap is largely due to the concentration of female employment in the less export-oriented sectors, notably in services. Furthermore, the current note makes clear that labour compensation for female workers in exports-supported jobs stagnated in comparison to total employment over the time period considered. Although all exports-supported jobs benefit from a wage premium, there is a gender wage gap of 4 p.p." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sánchez-Mira, Núria & Jacqueline O'Reilly (2019): Household employment and the crisis in Europe. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 33, H. 3, S. 422-443. DOI:10.1177/0950017018809324

Abstract

"The 2008 crisis had a significant impact on household employment in some European countries. An analysis of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions generated a new cross-national typology of household employment structures and showed how these changed during the crisis and austerity period, capturing the experiences of high and low qualified households. Findings indicate that dual earning households are not always a consequence of gender equality but result from economic necessity or employment opportunities. The re-emergence of traditional male breadwinner households is often the result of female unemployment, especially for lower educated women. An increase in female single earners and workless households is evident in countries hit hardest by the employment crisis. The value of this cross-national typology, rooted in the interaction of educational effects and employment opportunities, is allowing comparison both within and between European countries, going beyond established typologies based on policy frameworks or gender cultures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aumayr-Pintar, Christine, Anna-Karin Gustafsson, Anna Savolainen & Carsten Jørgensen (2018): Pay transparency in Europe. First experiences with gender pay reports and audits in four Member States. (Eurofound research report / European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Dublin, 18 S. DOI:10.2806/577051

Abstract

"In light of the limited action in many Member States to introduce or review gender pay transparency instruments as recommended, in November 2017 the European Commission announced the possible need for further targeted measures at EU level. This report reviews experiences in four Member States - Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Finland - based on their company-level gender pay reports and audits. Evaluations point to a 'bumpy ride' in terms of compliance - at least in the initial phase of rolling out the instruments in some countries - and highlight room for improvement in engaging employee representatives and in raising employees' awareness. The need to tackle knowledge gaps around the instruments right from the start is a lesson to be learnt from the experiences of the first movers. Soft measures to accompany enforceable mandatory requirements seem to be in demand and to be working well. Ultimately, the success of the instrument depends on the attitudes of the actors, the extent to which they acknowledge the existence of unjustified gender pay gaps and their willingness to engage in a meaningful dialogue and follow-up." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Boye, Katarina & Anne Grönlund (2018): Workplace Skill Investments - An Early Career Glass Ceiling? Job Complexity and Wages Among Young Professionals in Sweden. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 368-386. DOI:10.1177/0950017017744514

Abstract

"Despite higher educational investments, women fall behind men on most indicators of labour market success. This study investigates whether workplace skill investments set men and women off on different tracks in which the human capital acquired through higher education is either devalued or further developed. A survey sample of Swedish men and women who recently graduated from five educational programmes, leading to occupations with different gender composition, is analysed (N ┐ 2300). Results show that, a few years after graduation, men are more likely than women to acquire complex jobs and that this difference contributes to early career gender gaps in wages and employee bargaining power. The findings do not support the notion that child-related work interruptions provide a main mechanism for sorting women into less complex jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Burnette, Joyce & Maria Stanfors (2018): Understanding the gender gap among turn-of-the-century Swedish compositors. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2018,01), Uppsala, 41 S.

Abstract

"Women have always earned less than men, with men's greater physical strength explaining a large portion of the difference. This raises the question of why the gender gap did not disappear when the importance of physical strength waned with the emergence of the modern labor market. This paper explores the wage gap among Swedish compositors, an occupation featuring the main traits of modernity, circa 1900. We exploit matched employer-employee data with national coverage, and examine information on men and women holding the same jobs. On average, women's hourly wage was about 70 percent of men's. Individual characteristics explain much, but not all, of this gender gap. To explain the remainder of the gap, we examine training and differences across firms. Our findings suggest that women received less training than men, and accounting for differences across firms explains the gender gap. We also find differences across firms by size and location. Smaller firms outside the major cities treated men and women fairly, but large firms in big cities did not offer women the same opportunities as men, creating a gender wage gap. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that firms which set up internal labor markets treated men and women differently." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Castellano, Rosalia & Antonella Rocca (2018): Gender disparities in European labour markets. A comparison between female and male employees. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 157, H. 4, S. 589-608. DOI:10.1111/ilr.12052

Abstract

"In recent decades, the dramatic increase in female labour force participation was connected to significant changes in the economic opportunities reserved to women. However, gender disparities in the labour market still persist in many forms.
In this study we want to verify if in the European labour markets higher gender differentials are directly connected with bad economic conditions. Starting from the GGLMI, a composite indicator designed and developed by the authors in a previous study, besides updating the results, we construct other three composite indicators analysing separately female and male conditions in the labour market and the gender gap." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dotti Sani, Guliana Maria (2018): The economic crisis and changes in work - family arrangements in six European countries. In: Journal of European social policy, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 177-193. DOI:10.1177/0958928717700566

Abstract

"Over the past decades, there has been a substantial increase in female labour force participation, and the number of dual-earner and female-earner households has risen throughout western countries. However, the recent economic crisis has caused large losses in employment for both women and men, potentially yielding unexpected consequences for the evolution of work - family arrangements. This article carries out a comparative analysis of the relationship between the 2008/2009 economic crisis and work - family arrangements in Europe. Using data for six countries from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, this article fills a gap in the literature by addressing three issues: (1) whether work - family arrangements have changed from before to after the beginning of the economic downturn in countries with different gender and welfare regimes (Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom), (2) whether changes in work - family arrangements have occurred at different levels of the social strata and (3) whether couples have moved from dual-earner to male- or female-breadwinner. The results indicate changes in work - family arrangements in those countries worst hit by the economic crisis, Greece and Spain, where dual-earner and male-breadwinner households have decreased and no-earner and female-main-earner households have increased. Moreover, the results show that in these two countries, all social strata - proxied through women's level of education - have been affected by the crisis. In contrast, only moderate changes in work - family arrangements among all women can be observed in countries less hit by the economic downturn. The findings for the two southern European countries are troubling, as the increases in no-earner and female-breadwinner households point to worsening economic conditions throughout the population and to a halt in the process that for several decades had been leading to more equality in the distribution of employment between genders." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Evertsson, Marie, Katarina Boye & Jeylan Erman (2018): Fathers on call? A study on the sharing of care work between parents in Sweden. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 39, S. 33-60. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2018.39.2

Abstract

"Background: Swedish fathers' parental leave uptake has increased over time, but progress has been moderate. In relation to this, we ask what factors hinder or facilitate the taking of leave by fathers and how - if at all - the leave influences the father's relationship with his child.
Objective: To study (i) the reasons for parents' division of parental leave as well as the consequences this division has for their actual time at home with the child and (ii) the link between the father's leave and his relationship with the child, as well as the parents' division of childcare after parental leave.
Methods: A multi-methods approach is used, where OLS regression models of survey data from the Young Adult Panel Study are analysed alongside qualitative in-depth interviews with 13 couples who have had a first child.
Results: Quantitative results show that parents' leave lengths vary with the reasons given for the division of leave and that fathers' parental leave is related to long-term division of childcare. Qualitative results suggest that equal parenting is important to the interviewed parents; however, motherhood ideals may stand in the way of achieving it. Several mechanisms by which fathers' parental leave may influence later division of childcare are suggested, including the development of a closer relationship between father and child.
Conclusions: Policies aimed towards increasing fathers' parental leave uptake have the potential to strengthen the father - child bond, contribute to a more equal division of childcare, and facilitate both parents' understanding of each other and what being a stay-at-home parent involves.
Contribution: This article is the first to show how parents alleged reasons for the parental leave links to the actual length of the mother's and father's leave. Results indicate that increasing paternal leave length is linked to improved couple relationship quality and a closer relationship with the child." (Author's abstract, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Evertsson, Marie & Katarina Boye (2018): The transition to parenthood and the division of parental leave in different-sex and female same-sex couples in Sweden. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 34, H. 5, S. 471-485. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcy027

Abstract

"Research on the division of paid and unpaid work at the transition to parenthood has rarely been able to separate the social construction of gender and motherhood/fatherhood identities from labour market and financial factors. By bringing in female same-sex couples (SSC) and comparing how the transition to parenthood influences the division of parental leave in SSC and different-sex couples (DSC), we can isolate parents' gender as a predictor of the division of care from physiological and identity-forming aspects linked to being a birth-mother (or her partner). Analysing Swedish register data for couples who had their first child in 2003-2011, results show that (i) the (birth) mother's leave uptake is higher than the partner's uptake for both SSC and DSC, providing support for identity formation and internalized norms linked to the child's need of its (birth) mother; (ii) birth-mothers in SSC on average take 7 weeks less parental leave than mothers in DSC, indicating that the partner's gender plays a role; and (iii) the (birth) mother's parental leave share is negatively related to her income but unrelated to her partner's income, suggesting that her labour market prospects are more important in the division of leave than any financial, family-utility maximization." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Neumann, Emma (2018): Source country culture and labor market assimilation of immigrant women in Sweden. Evidence from longitudinal data. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 16, H. 3, S. 585-627. DOI:10.1007/s11150-018-9420-6

Abstract

"This paper analyzes the role of source country culture on gender roles for labor market assimilation of immigrant women in Sweden. Sweden ranks as one of the world's most gender-equal countries and at the same time a recipient of many immigrants from countries with more traditional views on gender roles and gender equality. I find that the labor force participation of immigrant women in Sweden is related to their source country culture, in the sense that women from countries where women's labor market participation is low (high) also have low (high) participation in the Swedish labor market. However, all immigrant women assimilate towards, but do not reach parity with, the participation rate of native women, and the difference between women from high- and low-participation countries diminishes with length of residence in Sweden. This indicates that source country culture on gender roles does not have a persistent effect on immigrant women's labor market participation in Sweden. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of taking into account unobservable time-constant individual and source country factors when estimating the relationship between source country culture and immigrants' labor market outcomes. Neglecting to control for these factors could lead researchers to misrepresent the rate of assimilation and overstate the effect of source country culture." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Stier, Haya, Noah Lewin-Epstein & Michael Braun (2018): Institutional change and women's work patterns along the family life course. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 57, H. October, S. 46-55. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2018.07.001

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Sundsbø, Astrid Ouahyb (2018): Parenting support in Europe's North. How is it understood and evaluated in research? In: Social policy and society, Jg. 17, H. 3, S. 431-441. DOI:10.1017/S1474746418000027

Abstract

"Parenting support in the Nordic countries builds upon a century-long tradition of controls and services run by municipalities and county councils (Hagelund, 2008; Danielsen and Mühleisen, 2009; Lundqvist, 2015). However, with the introduction of structured parental guidance programmes from the 1990s onward (mainly based on research insights and experiences from the US and UK), new elements have been added to the former policy legacy (Lundqvist, 2015)." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Valarino, Isabel, Ann-Zofie Duvander, Linda Haas & Gerda Neyer (2018): Exploring leave policy preferences: a comparison of Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. In: Social Politics, Jg. 25, H. 1, S. 118-147. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxx020

Abstract

"This study analyses preferences regarding leave length, gender division of leave, and leave financing in four countries with different welfare-state and leave regimes. Embedded in a gender perspective, institutional, self-interest, and ideational theoretical approaches are used to explore the factors shaping individuals' preferences (ISSP 2012 data). Findings show dramatic cross-country differences, suggesting the institutional dimension is most strongly related to leave policy preferences. Self-interest and values concerning gender relations and state responsibility are also important correlates. The study identifies mismatches between leave preferences, entitlements, and uptake, with implications for policy reform and the gendered division of parenting." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Verniers, Catherine & Jorge Vala (2018): Justifying gender discrimination in the workplace. The mediating role of motherhood myths. In: PLoS one, Jg. 13, H. 1, S. 1-23. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0190657

Abstract

"The issue of gender equality in employment has given rise to numerous policies in advanced industrial countries, all aimed at tackling gender discrimination regarding recruitment, salary and promotion. Yet gender inequalities in the workplace persist. The purpose of this research is to document the psychosocial process involved in the persistence of gender discrimination against working women. Drawing on the literature on the justification of discrimination, we hypothesized that the myths according to which women's work threatens children and family life mediates the relationship between sexism and opposition to a mother's career. We tested this hypothesis using the Family and Changing Gender Roles module of the International Social Survey Programme. The dataset contained data collected in 1994 and 2012 from 51632 respondents from 18 countries. Structural equation modellings confirmed the hypothesised mediation. Overall, the findings shed light on how motherhood myths justify the gender structure in countries promoting gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, commonly known as the Nordic countries, have been leaders in the development of modern family and gender policy, and the explicit promotion of gender equality at home, at work, and in public life. Today, on many measures, they boast some of the most gender-equal labour markets in the OECD.
This report shows that improvements in gender equality have contributed considerably to economic growth in the Nordic countries. Increases in female employment alone are estimated to account for anywhere between roughly 0.05 and 0.40 percentage points to average annual GDP per capita growth - equivalent to 3 to 20% of total GDP per capita growth over the past 50 years or so, depending on the country.
The Nordic countries are closer than most to achieving gender equality in the labour market. But the last mile may well prove to be the longest one. To make further progress, a continued assessment of the effectiveness of existing public policies and workplace practices is needed. Only with resolve and a continued focus can Nordic countries ensure that men and women contribute to their economies and societies in gender equal measure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Albrecht, Clara, Anita Fichtl & Peter Redler (2017): Fathers in charge? Parental leave policies for fathers in Europe. In: ifo DICE report, Jg. 15, H. 1, S. 49-51.

Abstract

"Despite the fact that most parental leave policies in European countries have also entitled men, take-up rates by fathers have been low. In turn, the traditional male breadwinner model has prevailed in the EU, even though the level of education of men and women has converged fully. At the same time, fathers do want to spend time with their newborn children (Huerta et al. 2013). A trend towards the implementation of parental leave policies for fathers - also known as 'daddy months' or 'daddy quotas' - has emerged. The potential goals of these policies are greater gender equality, both in the family and in the labour market, a better work-life-balance for families and stronger bonding between father and child. Encouraged by state regulations and the EU-Directive 2010/18/EU2 parental leave take-up rates have been rising over the past decade, but still remain low." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Andersson Joona, Pernilla (2017): Are mothers of young children more likely to be self-employed? The case of Sweden. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 15, H. 1, S. 307-333. DOI:10.1007/s11150-016-9349-6

Abstract

"Previous studies, mostly from Anglo-Saxon countries, find a positive correlation between the presence of young children in the household and self-employment probabilities among women. This has been seen as an indication of women with young children choosing self-employment as a way of balancing work and family commitments. This paper studies the relationship between children and female self-employment in a country with family friendly policies and a generous welfare system: Sweden. The initial hypothesis is that we will not find evidence of a positive effect of children on self-employment among Swedish women since there are other institutions in place aiming at facilitating the combination of work and family. Using Swedish register data for the period 2004 - 2008 we do, however, find that the presence of young children increases the probability of choosing self-employment also among Swedish women. The effect is strongest for women with very young children, 0 - 3 years of age. These results also hold in a panel data model that takes individual unobserved heterogeneity into account. We also analyze time-use data and find, contrary to what has been found in many other countries, that self-employed women spend more, or as much, time on market work than wage-earning women. This raises doubts about whether women in Sweden chose self-employment as a way of balancing work and family commitments." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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André, Christophe & Hugo Bourrousse (2017): Fighting gender inequality in Sweden. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1395), Paris, 31 S. DOI:10.1787/37b4d789-en

Abstract

"Sweden ranks among the best OECD countries in terms of gender equality. Women have a high employment rate, outperform men in education and are well represented in government and parliament. Nevertheless, without further policy measures, achieving parity is still a distant prospect in several areas. Wage differences between genders persist; women are under-represented on private company boards, in senior management positions, in many well-paid and influential professions and among entrepreneurs. Hence, there is scope to make further progress on gender equality. The share of the parental leave reserved for each parent should be increased further, as inequality in leave-taking and long parental leaves harm women's career prospects. Fighting stereotypes in education is necessary to improve women's access to professions where they are under-represented. Government programmes need to promote women's entrepreneurship further. Special attention should also be paid to the integration of foreign-born women, whose employment rate is much lower than for their male counterparts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bergqvist, Christina & Steven Saxonberg (2017): The state as a norm-builder? The take-up of parental leave in Norway and Sweden. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 51, H. 7, S. 1470-1487. DOI:10.1111/spol.12251

Abstract

"This study shows that although Norway and Sweden have rather similar family policies, the seemingly small differences that exist reflect different national ideals of care, and these differences encourage parents to employ different gendered moral rationalities. However, Sweden's ideal of 'equal-sharing/professional care', encourages fathers to take longer leaves than the Norwegian ideal of 'partial sharing plus choosing between professional or parental care'. Given their different national ideals of caring, different gendered moral rationalities emerge. While in Norway the dominant gendered moral rationality among our interviewees is 'man-doing-his-duty', in Sweden two different rationalities arise: the 'breastfeeding-plus-sharing' rationality and the 'male-opt-out'. This conclusion is based on 60 interviews with mothers and fathers in Oslo and Stockholm." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Boye, Katarina, Karin Halldén & Charlotta Magnusson (2017): Stagnation only on the surface? The implications of skill and family responsibilities for the gender wage gap in Sweden, 1974 - 2010. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 68, H. 4, S. 595-619. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.12252

Abstract

"The wage differential between women and men persists in advanced economies despite the inflow of women into qualified occupations in recent years. Using five waves of the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), this paper explores the gender wage gap in Sweden during the 1974 - 2010 period overall and by skill level. The empirical analyses showed that the general gender wage gap has been nearly unchanged for the past 30 years. However, the gender difference in wage in less qualified occupations fell considerably, whereas the gender pay gap remained stable for men and women in qualified occupations. The larger significance of family responsibilities for wages in qualified occupations is one likely explanation for this result." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Castellano, Rosalia & Rocca Antonella (2017): The dynamic of the gender gap in the European labour market in the years of economic crisis. In: Quality and Quantity. International Journal of Methodology, Jg. 51, H. 3, S. 1337-1357. DOI:10.1007/s11135-016-0334-1

Abstract

"Closing the gender gap in the labour market is one of the main goals of European Union and part of a wider effort to eliminate social inequalities. In recent decades, all developed countries have suffered a deep global economic crisis, that has increased social and economic inequalities. In Europe, the crisis involved problems of European stability and growth, but the crisis did not affect the euro-area countries to the same extent, and the consequences and recovery were correspondingly asymmetrical. In this paper, we analyse the changes that occurred in the gender gap in the European labour markets from 2007 to 2012 to understand if the recession has further increased or reduced the gender differentials. At this aim, we combine the use of two different statistical methodologies. Through the composite indicator methodology, we test how the rank of countries in relation to gender equality has changed in these years. In addition, the Dynamic Factor Analysis allows us to identify the factors that drive these changes. Moreover, the contextual analysis of the measures that were utilized to face the crisis could give policy makers some useful suggestions on the most efficacious actions to take." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Dotti Sani, Giulia M. & Matteo Luppi (2017): How long is too long? Long-term effects of maternity-related job interruptions on mothers' income in 10 European countries. (Carlo Alberto notebooks 513), Turin, 27 S.

Abstract

"This article inquires whether work interruptions due to childbearing and childrearing have long-term effects on mothers' absolute and relative income in later life in ten European countries. Previous studies have found significant differences in earned income among prime-age women and men, and mothers and fathers, with mothers earning significantly less than men and childless women, both in absolute and relative terms. Many factors account for such differences, including mothers' reduced working hours and productivity, the type of job, job interruptions, self-selection and statistical discrimination. However, while research has investigated the short- and medium-term consequences of having children on mothers absolute and relative earnings, less is known about the long-term effects of childbearing and childrearing on mothers' income in later life. In this article, we investigate whether the length of maternity-related work interruptions is associated with income inequalities at a later age. The analysis, based on four waves of SHARE data (N 7,746), indicates that while short work interruptions are not negatively associated with mothers' absolute and relative earned income in later life, long work interruptions and a failure to return to work have a large impact on women's long-term economic wellbeing, especially in countries where decommodification through family and pension policies is limited." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fortin, Nicole M., Brian Bell & Michael Böhm (2017): Top earnings inequality and the gender pay gap. Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom. (IZA discussion paper 10829), Bonn, 42 S.

Abstract

"This paper explores the consequences of the under-representation of women in top jobs for the overall gender pay gap. Using administrative annual earnings data from Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, it applies the approach used in the analysis of earnings inequality in top incomes, as well as reweighting techniques, to the analysis of the gender pay gap. The analysis is supplemented by classic O-B decompositions of hourly wages using data from the Canadian and U.K. Labour Force Surveys. The paper finds that recent increases in top earnings led to substantial 'swimming upstream' effects, therefore accounting for differential progress in the gender pay gap across time periods and a growing share of the gap unexplained by traditional factors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Foster, Liam, Ruby Chau & Sam Yu (2017): The impact of defamilisation measures on gender and pensions. A comparison between the UK and seven other European countries. In: The journal of poverty and social justice, Jg. 25, H. 3, S. 199-217. DOI:10.1332/175982717X14999284090397

Abstract

"This article uses individual-based and state-led care-focused defamilisation indices to explore women's employment opportunities and experiences and their implications for pension contributions. These two types of defamilisation indices are applied to eight European countries (Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK) which shows that the UK has less generous defamilisation measures than its European counterparts. It indicates that the use of defamilisation measures along with pension policies which are not based on the male breadwinner ideology have the capacity to moderate economic inequalities between men and women in older age." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Policy Press) ((en))

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Geist, Claudia (2017): Three worlds of marriage effects? Gendered marriage earning differences in the United States, Germany, and Sweden. In: Zeitschrift für Familienforschung, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 253-276. DOI:10.3224/zff.v29i3.01

Abstract

"Verheiratet zu sein wird mit vielen Vorteilen in Verbindung gebracht, aber wir wissen nicht genug über den tatsächlichen Effekt des Eheeintritts auf individuelles Einkommen, insbesondere für Frauen. In diesem Beitrag werden die unmittelbaren und kurzfristigen Effekte untersucht, die eine Verehelichung auf die Einkommen von Männern und Frauen in den USA, in Deutschland und in Schweden hat. Die Untersuchung des Einkommenseffekts der Ehe in drei unterschiedlichen sozial-politischen Settings ermöglicht Einsichten in die Kontextabhängigkeit des Zusammenhangs zwischen Heirat und Einkommen. Mit Fixed-Effects-Modellen wird aufgezeigt, dass der Übergang zur Ehe weder in den Vereinigten Staaten noch in Schweden mit dem Einkommen von Frauen zusammenhängt, während deutsche Frauen dadurch Einkommenseinbußen hinnehmen müssen. Kontrolliert man jedoch die Selektionseffekte bei der Aufnahme einer Beschäftigung, so kommt man zu dem Ergebnis, dass erwerbstätige Frauen in Deutschland mit niedriger Beschäftigungsneigung bei Ehe-Eintritt umgehend Einkommenszuwächse erfahren, dass aber Frauen, die stärker in den Arbeitsmarkt eingebunden sind, dann kurzfristig negativ sanktioniert werden. Für die Männer in den drei Ländern kommt es jedoch beim Übergang in die Ehe zu keinen Einkommenseffekten, wenn deren Beschäftigungswahrscheinlichkeit berücksichtigt wird." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Groof, Sarah de, Frank Hendrickx & Roger Blanpain (Hrsg.) (2017): Work-life balance in the modern workplace. Interdisciplinary perspectives from work-family research, law and policy. (Bulletin of comparative labour relations 98), Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International, 389 S.

Abstract

"The term 'work-life balance' refers to the relationship between paid work in all of its various forms and personal life, which includes family but is not limited to it. In addition, gender permeates every aspect of this relationship. This volume brings together a wide range of perspectives from a number of different disciplines, presenting research findings and their implications for policy at all levels (national, sectoral, enterprise, workplace). Collectively, the contributors seek to close the gap between research and policy with the intent of building a better work-life balance regime for workers across a variety of personal circumstances, needs and preferences.
Among the issues and topics covered are the following:
- differences and similarities between men and women and particularly between mothers and fathers in their work choices;
- 'third shift' work (work at home at night or during weekends);
- effect of the extent to which employers perceive management of this process to be a 'burden';
- employers' exploitation of the psychological interconnection between masculinity and breadwinning;
- organisational culture that is more available for supervisors than for rank-and-file workers;
- weak enforcement mechanisms and token penalties for non-compliance by employers;
- trade unions as the best hope for precarious workers to improve work-life balance;
- crowd-work (on-demand performance of tasks by persons selected remotely through online platforms from a large pool of potential and generic workers);
- an example of how to use work-life balance insights to evaluate the law;
- collective self-scheduling;
- employers' duty to accommodate;
- financial hardship as a serious threat to work-life balance." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Grönlund, Anne, Karin Halldén & Charlotta Magnusson (2017): A Scandinavian success story? Women's labour market outcomes in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 60, H. 2, S. 97-119. DOI:10.1177/0001699316660595

Abstract

"In current research, the extensive family policies of the Scandinavian countries have been problematized and described as hampering women's careers. However, mechanisms have been little investigated and the Scandinavian countries are often regarded as a single policy model. Based on an account of institutional variety we study gender gaps in hourly wages and access to authority positions in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and explore the importance of segregation, skills and work interruptions. The analysis uses pooled cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 2004 and 2010. The results show that gender gaps vary both in size and regarding the mechanisms producing them. In particular, we find that gender segregation has a radically different impact in the four countries. The analysis suggests that the mechanisms linking family policies to labour market outcomes are more complex than envisaged in the current debate and point to the importance of comparing seemingly similar countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Holth, Line, Ann Bergman & Robert MacKenzie (2017): Gender, availability and dual emancipation in the Swedish ICT sector. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 31, H. 2, S. 230-247. DOI:10.1177/0950017016651378

Abstract

"Set in the context of the Swedish state's agenda of dual emancipation for women and men, the article shows how a global ICT consultancy company's formal gender equality goal is undermined by competing demands. Employing the concept of availability, in preference to work - life balance, the research found women opted out of roles requiring high degrees of spatial and temporal availability for work, in favour of roles more easily combined with family responsibilities. Such choices led to poor career development, plus the loss of technological expertise and confidence. These outcomes were at odds with the company's gender equality aims, as well as government objectives to make it easier for women and men to combine work and family, and increase the number of women within ICT." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hotz, V. Joseph, Per Johansson & Arizo Karimi (2017): Parenthood, family friendly firms, and the gender gaps in early work careers. (NBER working paper 24173), Cambrige, Mass., 79 S. DOI:10.3386/w24173

Abstract

"We consider the role that firm attributes play in accounting for the divergence in the careers of women and men, with the onset of parenthood. We exploit a matched employer-employee data set from Sweden that provides a rich set of firm and worker attributes. We index firms by their 'family friendliness' and analyze the effect of firm family friendliness on the career gap between mothers and fathers. We find that women disproportionately sort into family friendly firms after first birth and that the wage penalty to motherhood is diminished by being assigned to a more family friendly firm or job. We also find that working in a more family friendly firm or job diminishes the parenthood penalty to labor earnings and makes it easier for mothers to work more hours. At the same time, the smaller wage and income penalties to parents from working in family friendly firms and jobs come at the expense of their occupational progression, especially among mothers, impeding their ability to climb career ladders. Finally, we find that family friendly jobs are more easily substitutable for one another. This latter finding suggests that family friendly firms are able to accommodate the family responsibilities of their workers while still managing to keep their costs low. Our findings also suggest that paid parental leave with job protection - which are features of the Swedish context - may not be sufficient to achieve the balancing of career and family responsibilities, but that the way firms and jobs are structured can play a crucial role in facilitating this balance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Javornik, Jana & Anna Kurowska (2017): Work and Care Opportunities under Different Parental Leave Systems. Gender and Class Inequalities in Northern Europe. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 51, H. 4, S. 617-637. DOI:10.1111/spol.12316

Abstract

"This article analyses public parental leave in eight northern European countries, and assesses its opportunity potential to facilitate equal parental involvement and employment, focusing on gender and income opportunity gaps. It draws on Sen's capability and Weber's ideal-types approach to analyze policies across countries. It offers the ideal parental leave architecture, one which minimizes the policy-generated gender and class inequality in parents' opportunities to share parenting and keep their jobs, thus providing real opportunities for different groups of individuals to achieve valued functionings as parents. Five policy indicators are created using benchmarking and graphical analysis. Two sources of opportunity inequality are considered: the leave system as the opportunity and constraint structure, and the socio-economic contexts as the conversion factors. The article produces a comprehensive overview of national leave policies, visually presenting leave policy across countries. Considering policy capability ramifications beyond gender challenges a family policy-cluster idea and the Nordic-Baltic divide. It demonstrates that leave systems in northern Europe are far from homogenous; they diverge in the degree to which they create real opportunities for parents and children as well as in key policy dimensions through which these opportunities are created." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Longarela, Iñaki R (2017): Explaining vertical gender segregation. A research agenda. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 31, H. 6, S. 861-871. DOI:10.1177/0950017016668133

Abstract

"This research agenda outlines possible routes to pursue an explanation of vertical gender segregation. The analysis emphasizes the expanding opportunities brought about by a combination of Big Data and public policies, like gender quotas, and uncovers important challenges for which possible solutions are offered. Experimental work is likely to remain very useful in the pursuit of answers to this asymmetric gender presence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Magnusson, Charlotta & Magnus Nermo (2017): Gender, parenthood and wage differences. The importance of time-consuming job characteristics. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 131, H. 2, S. 797-816. DOI:10.1007/s11205-016-1271-z

Abstract

"Using data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey (2000, 2010), we investigate how the gender wage gap varies with occupational prestige and family status and also examine the extent to which this gap is explained by time-consuming working conditions. In addition, we investigate whether there is an association between parenthood, job characteristics and wage (as differentiated by gender). The analyses indicate that there are gender differences regarding prestige-based pay-offs among parents that are partly explained by fathers' greater access to employment characterized by time-consuming conditions. Separate analyses for men and women demonstrate the presence of a marriage wage premium for both genders, although only men have a parenthood wage premium. This fatherhood premium is however only present in high-prestigious occupations. Compared with childless men, fathers are also more advantaged in terms of access to jobs with time-consuming working conditions, but the wage gap between fathers and childless men is not explained by differences in access to such working conditions." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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O'Brien, Margaret & Karin Wall (Hrsg.) (2017): Comparative perspectives on work-life balance and gender equality. Fathers on leave alone. (Life course research and social policies 06), Cham: Springer London, 266 S., Anhang. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-42970-0

Abstract

"This book portrays men's experiences of home alone leave and how it affects their lives and family gender roles in different policy contexts and explores how this unique parental leave design is implemented in these contrasting policy regimes. The book brings together three major theoretical strands: social policy, in particular the literature on comparative leave policy developments; family and gender studies, in particular the analysis of gendered divisions of work and care and recent shifts in parenting and work-family balance; critical studies of men and masculinities, with a specific focus on fathers and fathering in contemporary western societies and life-courses. Drawing on empirical data from in-depth interviews with fathers across eleven countries, the book shows that the experiences and social processes associated with fathers' home alone leave involve a diversity of trends, revealing both innovations and absence of change, including pluralization as well as the constraining influence of policy, gender, and social context. As a theoretical and empirical book it raises important issues on modernization of the life course and the family in contemporary societies. The book will be of particular interest to scholars in comparing western societies and welfare states as well as to scholars seeking to understand changing work-life policies and family life in societies with different social and historical pathways." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schleutker, Elina (2017): Women's work-life preferences. Reconceptualization and cross-country description over time. In: European Societies, Jg. 19, H. 3, S. 292-312. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2017.1290266

Abstract

"According to Hakim's preference theory, women can be divided into three groups based on their work - family preferences: home-centered, adaptive and work-centered. Here it is argued that Hakim's conceptualization of the adaptive women is unsatisfactory, as it does not take into consideration how the adaptive women want to combine work and family. The paper offers a reconceptualization of the adaptive group. Based on when women want to return to employment after childbirth, and how many hours they would like to work, three types of adaptive women are distinguished: the home-oriented adaptive women, the truly adaptive women and the work-oriented adaptive women. To demonstrate the fruitfulness of the reconceptualization, a cross-sectional descriptive study of women's preferences over time is conducted by employing data from International Social Survey Programme." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vidal, Sergi, Francisco Perales, Philipp M. Lersch & Maria Brandén (2017): Family migration in a cross-national perspective. The importance of within-couple employment arrangements in Australia, Britain, Germany, and Sweden. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 36, S. 307-338. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2017.36.10

Abstract

"Objective: Migration rates of dual-earner couples are lower than those of male-breadwinner couples. We revisit this issue using a cross-national comparative perspective and examine heterogeneity in the role of female employment in couple relocations. We propose a theoretical framework in which national levels of support for female employment and normative expectations about gender roles act as moderators of the relationship between couple type (i.e., dual-earner and male-breadwinner) and family migration.
Methods: We deploy discrete-time event history analyses of harmonised longitudinal data from four large-scale datasets from Australia, Britain, Germany, and Sweden, covering the 1992-2011 period.
Results: Consistent with prior research, we find that male-breadwinner couples migrate more often than dual-earner couples in all countries, suggesting that traditional gender structures affecting family migration operate across very different contexts. We also find cross-country differences in the estimated effects of different sorts of absolute and relative partner resources on family migration.
Conclusions: We take our results as preliminary evidence that national contexts can serve as moderators of the relationship between within-couple employment arrangements and family migration decisions.
Contribution: Our study contributes to family migration literature by illustrating how cross-national comparisons are a valuable methodological approach to put prevailing micro-level explanations of the relationship between female employment and family migration in context." (Author's abstract, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Andrén, Daniela & Thomas Andrén (2016): Women's and men's responses to in-work benefits. The influence of children. In: IZA journal of labor policy, Jg. 5, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1186/s40173-016-0059-8

Abstract

"This study examines how the Swedish earned income tax credit (EITC) introduced in 2007 affected the labor supply of men and women living in two-adult households and the extent to which children in the household affected the outcome. Because the EITC is non-targeted in Sweden, it is difficult to form a meaningful comparison group for a regular ex-post quasi-experimental evaluation of the reform. Therefore, a structural discrete choice labor supply model for two-adult households is formulated and used in an ex ante analysis. In a first step, estimates from the structural labor supply model are used to determine the wage elasticities of the labor supply of men and women separately, both with and without children in the household. Our results correspond to those previously reported in the academic literature: somewhat larger wage elasticities are found for women than for men, while similar labor supply responses are found for men and women when there are no children in the household. In a second step, the labor supply model is used to simulate the labor supply responses to the EITC. Our results indicate that the largest response is on the extensive margin, with an increase in the labor force participation of both men and women. While the labor supply effect on the intensive margin is smaller, it is positive for both men and women working part-time. However, the presence of children affects work hours differently for men and women working part-time or not at all. For men, the percentage change in the work hours was much higher for those living in a household without children, whereas for women, the changes are almost the same for the two types of households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Angelov, Nikolay, Per Johansson & Erica Lindahl (2016): Parenthood and the gender gap in pay. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 34, H. 3, S. 545-579. DOI:10.1086/684851

Abstract

"We compare the income and wage trajectories of women to those of their male partners before and after parenthood. Focusing on the within-couple gap allows us to control for both observed and unobserved attributes of the spouse and to estimate both short- and long-term effects of entering parenthood. We find that 15 years after the first child has been born, the male-female gender gaps in income and wages have increased by 32 and 10 percentage points, respectively. In line with a collective labor supply model, the magnitude of these effects depends on counterfactual relative incomes or wages within the family." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Avdic, Daniel & Arizo Karimi (2016): Modern family? Paternity leave and marital stability. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2016,23), Uppsala, 64 S.

Abstract

"We study the effects of unanticipated changes to the intra-household division of parental leave on family stability exploiting two parental leave reforms in Sweden. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, we find that a decrease in the mother's share of parental leave increases the probability of separation among couples that were married or cohabiting at the time of the reforms. Our results also suggest a lower likelihood of cohabiting couples to upgrade to marriage. Examination of reform compliers reveal that the increased separation risk is mainly driven by more traditional couples, and among couples with previous children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bertram, Hans (2016): Die Rushhour des Lebens: Auswege und Lösungsmodelle. In: Archiv für Wissenschaft und Praxis der sozialen Arbeit, Jg. 47, H. 2, S. 16-33.

Abstract

"Aus der Rushhour des Lebens, in der berufliche Anforderungen und die Fürsorge für Kinder vereinbart werden müssen, gibt es keine einfachen Auswege. Viele Lösungsmodelle scheitern daran, dass die notwendige Zeit für Kinder nicht beliebig disponibel ist und dass noch immer strukturelle Einkommensunterschiede zwischen Männern und Frauen bestehen. Zudem benachteiligen sie Alleinerziehende. In diesem Beitrag werden die zeitlichen Belastungen von Eltern im europäischen Vergleich untersucht und auf dieser Grundlage flexible Arbeitszeiten im Lebenslauf als mögliche Lösung vorgestellt." (Autorenreferat, © Deutscher Verein für öffentliche und private Fürsorge e.V.)

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Bertrand, Marianne, Patricia Cortés, Claudia Olivetti & Jessica Pan (2016): Social norms, labor market opportunities, and the marriage gap for skilled women. (NBER working paper 22015), Cambrige, Mass., 65 S. DOI:10.3386/w22015

Abstract

"In most of the developed world, skilled women marry at a lower rate than unskilled women. We document heterogeneity across countries in how the marriage gap for skilled women has evolved over time. As labor market opportunities for women have improved, the marriage gap has been growing in some countries but shrinking in others. We discuss a theoretical model in which the (negative) social attitudes towards working women might contribute towards the lower marriage rate of skilled women, and might also induce a non-linear relationship between their labor market prospects and their marriage outcomes. The model is suited to understand the dynamics of the marriage gap for skilled women over time within a country with set social attitudes towards working women. The model also delivers predictions about how the marriage gap for skilled women should react to changes in their labor market opportunities across countries with more or less conservative attitudes towards working women. We test the key predictions of this model in a panel of 23 developed countries, as well as in a panel of US states." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bünning, Mareike & Matthias Pollmann-Schult (2016): Family policies and fathers' working hours. Cross-national differences in the paternal labour supply. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 30, H. 2, S. 256-274. DOI:10.1177/0950017015578999

Abstract

"Despite extensive research on the effect of family policies on the labour supply of mothers, little is known about how these policies affect fathers' labour market outcomes. Using European panel data (EU-SILC) from 2003 to 2009 and multi-level models, this study analyses the effect of family policies on fathers' working hours. The results indicate that fathers work less than childless men if they live in countries that offer well paid, non-transferable parental leave for fathers, short parental leave for mothers and generous family allowances. The effects, however, are strongly contingent on fathers' educational levels. Whereas short maternal leaves are associated with shorter working hours among highly educated fathers, generous family allowances and father friendly parental leave schemes reduce the working hours of less educated fathers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Castro-García, Carmen & Maria Pazos-Moran (2016): Parental leave policy and gender equality in Europe. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 51-73. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2015.1082033

Abstract

"This article uses data from 2008 - 10 to analyze parental leave policies in twenty-one European countries and their influence on men's behavior. It examines entitlement characteristics, such as nontransferability, duration, payment, compulsory period, and other policies to assess their effect on the proportion of leave men use out of the total parental leave in each country. The findings, which suggest that a large majority of men take nontransferable and highly paid leave, and a small minority take other types, provide the basis for developing the Parental Leave Equality Index (PLEI). PLEI ranks countries by the degree to which parental leave policies reinforce or diminish the gendered division of labor. Results indicate that although Iceland's parental leave policies do the most to advance gender equity, no country has equal, nontransferable, and well-paid leave for each parent. This policy arrangement would be a precondition to men's and women's equal participation in childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Davaki, Konstantina (2016): Differences in men's and women's work, care and leisure time. Study for the FEMM committee. Brüssel, 63 S. DOI:10.2861/381996

Abstract

"The economic crisis has profoundly affected the labour market and private life of men and women. This study examines the interrelation of policies with the ways women and men allocate time to paid work, care and leisure and the gendered outcomes produced in different socio-economic and cultural settings. It shows that policies are powerful tools which can contribute to a better work-life balance and transform gender roles in accordance to the targets of EU2020 strategy and EU28 commitment to gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Edlund, Jonas & Ida Öun (2016): Who should work and who should care? Attitudes towards the desirable division of labour between mothers and fathers in five European countries. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 59, H. 2, S. 151-169. DOI:10.1177/0001699316631024

Abstract

"In this article, we study attitudes towards the gendered division of paid and unpaid work from a comparative perspective. Based on the notion that political institutions are important in structuring individuals' orientations, five countries with different family policy arrangements are included in the analysis: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland and Sweden. Previous comparative attitude research has a strong bias towards public opinion about women's employment, while research on attitudes towards men's participation in care work is rare. Drawing on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2012, we use latent class analysis to explore public opinion about: (a) how parents should divide the responsibilities of economic provision and unpaid work; and (b) whether and how parents should divide paid parental leave between them. The strongest support for a traditional organization of work and care is found in Poland, while the strongest support for an equal sharing of work and care responsibilities is found in Sweden. Among the Nordic countries, results differ. While those holding non-traditional ideals in Denmark and Finland emphasize the importance of full-time work for both parents, non-traditional Swedes instead emphasize that both parents should cut back their work hours and thereby share the responsibility for earning and caring in the family." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eigenmann, Laura, Yvonne Holl, Eszter Kováts, Jonathan Menge, Kathrin Nink, Alexander Rosenplänter, Anne Salles & Christina Schildmann (2016): Auf dem Weg zur Geschlechtergerechtigkeit? Berichte aus Dänemark, Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, Österreich, Schweden, Schweiz, Ungarn und USA. Berlin, 68 S.

Abstract

"Die Gleichberechtigung von Männern und Frauen gehört zu den Grundnormen moderner Gesellschaften. Die tatsächliche Durchsetzung der Gleichberechtigung ist dabei traditionell ein zentrales Projekt progressiver politischer Kräfte.
Angesichts des demografischen Wandels, der in vielen Industrieländern zu beobachten ist, hat Familien- und Geschlechterpolitik auch an wirtschafts- und bevölkerungspolitischer Bedeutung gewonnen. Vor diesem Hintergrund sind in den vergangenen Jahren - mitunter durch Bündnisse über politische Lager hinweg - erhebliche Fortschritte erzielt worden.
Allerdings formieren sich sowohl in Deutschland als auch in vielen anderen Ländern (neue) konservative und rechtspopulistische Kräfte gegen eine fortschrittliche Geschlechter- und Familienpolitik. Das sogar in Ländern, in denen die Errungenschaften im Feld der Geschlechtergerechtigkeit längst gesellschaftlicher Konsens zu sein schienen.
Diese Studie trägt Erfahrungen und aktuelle familien- und geschlechterpolitische Diskurse aus neun Ländern zusammen. Damit liegt hier nunmehr ein breiter Überblick vor, der Ansätze und Debatten der jeweiligen Länder in Berichten konzise aufbereitet und vergleichbar macht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Evertsson, Marie, Daniela Grunow & Silke Aisenbrey (2016): Work interruptions and young women's career prospects in Germany, Sweden and the US. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 30, H. 2, S. 291-308. DOI:10.1177/0950017015598283

Abstract

"This article assesses the impact of discontinuous work histories on young women's occupational mobility in Germany, Sweden and the US. Women with continuous work histories are compared with those with gaps due to family leave, unemployment, or other reasons. The German Life History Study, the Swedish Level of Living Survey and the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are used to estimate Cox regression models of the transition rate to downward or upward occupational mobility. The results indicate that US women face increased downward mobility with increasing duration of both family leave and unemployment. German women with unemployment experience are also more likely to encounter downward mobility, but no such relationship is found for family leave. In Sweden, family leave experience reduces the chances of upward mobility. Results question the human capital approach, according to which skills should deteriorate at the same rate independent of the reason for the leave." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Feldman, Karie & Brian K. Gran (2016): Is what's best for dads best for families? Paternity leave policies and equity across forty-four nations. In: Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Jg. 43, H. 1, S. 95-119.

Abstract

"In a global economy, paternity leave policies represent one of the most significant expansions of the welfare state that seek to help fathers respond to socio-economic pressures on their work and families. Policy makers who strongly promote socio-economic equity may respond to these global changes with new policy formulae meant to encourage involvement of fathers in their families. Nevertheless, scholars have limited understanding of who benefits from paternity leave policies and what these benefits mean to families. The present study is a comparative analysis of paternity leave policies across forty-four countries. This paper first presents a typology of paternity leave policies. This typology consists of seven criteria that range from duration of benefits to amount of benefits to employment security. This typology is then applied to forty-four countries. The present study demonstrates that a surprisingly small number of countries are devoted to family equity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))