Zitatform

Blom, Rutger & Lianne Aarntzen (2026): What hinders employees’ access to and use of family-friendly policies: a systematic review of motivations, opportunities, and abilities. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-40. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2026.2625440

Abstract

"In recent decades, many people increasingly need to juggle work with family responsibilities. Despite the availability of family-friendly organizational policies aimed at alleviating these challenges, employees are often not granted access to them, do not perceive them as accessible, and are reluctant to use them. This systematic review examines the barriers hindering the effective implementation of family-friendly policies using a multilevel Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework. Reviewing 80 empirical studies on antecedents of access to and use of family-friendly policies, we evaluated the strength of evidence for each antecedent based on the study quality, consistency across studies, and the degree to which the study could be generalized to real-life contexts. Findings reveal that (1) lack of support at different stakeholder levels is a key barrier to access and use of policies, (2) underprivileged workers are restrained from access, (3) gendered workplace norms exclude men from using policies, (4) female-dominated occupations and sectors offer the lowest access to family-friendly policies. Under-researched areas, such as the sector and coworker levels, along with the ability dimension of the MOA framework, require further exploration. The insights derived in this review may help the development of targeted organizational interventions, supporting employees to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bothfeld, Silke, Christian Hohendanner, Petra Schütt & Aysel Yollu-Tok (2026): Einleitung: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer geschlechtergerechten Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik. In: S. Bothfeld, C. Hohendanner, P. Schütt & A. Yollu-Tok (Hrsg.) (2026): Geschlechtergerecht gestalten. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik, S. 9-26.

Abstract

"Wer über Geschlechtergerechtigkeit spricht, kommt an der begrifflichen Unterscheidung zwischen Gleichberechtigung und Gleichstellungspolitik nicht vorbei. Diese Differenz ist grundlegend für das Verständnis politischer, sozialer und ökonomischer Maßnahmen zur Überwindung geschlechterbezogener Ungleichheiten. Gleichberechtigung meint die rechtlich garantierte Gleichheit von Frauen und Männern – wie sie etwa in Artikel 3 des Grundgesetzes verankert ist. Sie garantiert allen Menschen denselben Zugang zu Rechten: zum Bildungssystem, zum Arbeitsmarkt, zu politischen Ämtern. Doch so unverzichtbar diese rechtliche Grundlage ist, so unzureichend ist sie, wenn es um die tatsächliche Teilhabe in einer nach wie vor von struktureller Ungleichheit geprägten Gesellschaft geht. Hier setzt die Gleichstellungspolitik an: Sie begnügt sich nicht mit der formalen Gleichheit, sondern zielt auf faktische Chancengleichheit. Für die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter wurde daher im Artikel 3 Abs. 2 (»Männer und Frauen sind gleichberechtigt.«) 1994 der Zusatz aufgenommen »Der Staat fördert die tatsächliche Durchsetzung der Gleichberechtigung von Frauen und Männern und wirkt auf die Beseitigung bestehender Nachteile hin«. Die Gleichstellungspolitik soll in diesem Sinne bestehende Benachteiligungen – etwa beim Einkommen, bei der Verteilung von Sorgearbeit, beim Zugang zu Führungspositionen oder in den sozialen Sicherungssystemen – sichtbar machen und Instrumente entwickeln, um Ungleichheiten abzubauen. Gleichstellungspolitik bedeutet nicht Privilegierung oder Sonderbehandlung, sondern sie ist Ausdruck eines demokratischen Gestaltungsauftrags: Sie soll sicherstellen, dass Gleichberechtigung nicht nur auf dem Papier steht, sondern im gesellschaftlichen Alltag wirksam wird. Dieser Sammelband greift zentrale Fragen dieser Gestaltungsaufgabe im Rahmen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik auf und versammelt Beiträge, die sich mit geschlechterbezogenen Ungleichheiten am Arbeitsmarkt und im Sozialstaat befassen – empirisch fundiert, theoretisch reflektiert und mit einem gemeinsamen Ziel: Geschlechtergerechtigkeit nicht nur zu fordern, sondern Hinweise und Vorschläge für die Gestaltung von konkreten Strukturen und politischen Maßnahmen zu präsentieren." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Cortés, Patricia, Jisoo Hwang, Jessica Pan & Uta Schönberg (2026): Gender Norms and the Labor Market. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 34716), Cambridge, Mass, 42 S.

Abstract

"Despite substantial convergence in men's and women's economic roles, gender gaps in labor market outcomes persist across countries. This article provides a unified framework for understanding how gender norms shape economic behavior, distinguishing between internalized norms—preferences and beliefs tied to gender identity—and external norms arising from peer pressure and social coordination. We first document cross-country and within-country variation in gender attitudes, alongside gradual but uneven shifts toward more egalitarian views. We then review empirical evidence on the origins, persistence, and transmission of gender norms, and their effects on human capital accumulation, labor supply, wages, and policy take-up. The review highlights both the durability of gender norms and the mechanisms through which policies, institutions, and media can induce norm change, with implications for the design of effective interventions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Resendez, Sarahi, Jianghong Li & Matthias Pollmann-Schult (2026): Nonstandard work schedules and work-life balance in dual-earner households: The role of parenthood. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 38, S. 1-22. DOI:10.20377/jfr-1259

Abstract

"Objective: This study examines whether nonstandard work schedules (NSWS) improve or hinder work-life balance (WLB) for parents and non-parents in dual-earner households. Background: Previous research shows that NSWS can negatively affect workers' well-being. However, less is known about whether and to what extent these effects differ between parents and childless individuals. Method: Using data from the first wave of the German Family Demography Panel Study (FReDA), linear regression models are applied to assess whether the effect of NSWS on WLB is influenced by family circumstances. Results: Parenthood is generally associated with lower WLB. However, the negative association between NSWS and WLB is more pronounced among childless workers. Notably, mothers of young children (ages 0-5), as well as fathers of school-aged children (ages 6-12) working NSWS report higher WLB than their childless counterparts. Conclusion: Parents with NSWS in dual-earner households do not necessarily experience lower WLB than childless workers. In some cases, NSWS may even help parents better reconcile work and family responsibilities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schneck, Stefan (2026): Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners. In: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Jg. 121. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2025.102506

Abstract

"The self-employed are their own bosses and make independent decisions on how to achieve their goals. We ask if the self-employed not only make professional decisions but also interfere in the private decisions of their partners. Using unique German panel data designed to study intimate relationships, we show a positive relationship between complaints about interference and the self-employment status of partners, which indicates that the self-employed dominate in business and private life. Estimates explaining the frequency of disagreements and quarrels between partners reveal that tensions are more commonly reported by respondents with self-employed partners. Moreover, we show that partners exercising control over their partners are a major source of conflicts at home. In this regard, the significant effect of having a self-employed partner can be attributed to the degree of governance the partner exercises over the respondent’s life. This study is the first to suggest that decision autonomy in the work sphere is associated with dominance in private life, harming relationships." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author.Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))

Zitatform

Strazdins, Lyndall, Tinh Doan, Liana Leach, Jianghong Li, Matthias Pollmann-Schult & Till Kaiser (2026): Ceilings: Gender Inequality in Hours, Earnings and Health. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 182. DOI:10.1007/s11205-026-03820-0

Abstract

"One reason gender earning gaps persist is that well-paid jobs presume long work hours, and these are incompatible with family care. Long hours also harm health, and the risks may increase for workers with care and domestic workloads, adding a gendered health penalty. Using representative, longitudinal data from Australia and Germany (144,430–153,659 observations for HILDA and SOEP surveys, respectively, 2002–2022), we model the interconnections between hours and health among men and women aged 25–64 years. Our models include hours spent on care and domestic work, to estimate the points at which working more gains earnings but incurs risks for health and how this may differ by gender. The results show that average health ceilings mirror standard work hours (38 to 43 h per week) in both countries, but this masks wide gender differences. Gender stratified models reveal that long work hours are relatively less harmful for men compared to women, and as work hours lengthen, the penalty to women’s physical and mental health increases. We further show how these differential health harms are linked to extra time spent on family care and domestic work. Our study extends theory on how gender inequality is maintained in organisations and in the labour market, and the need for policy action to limit long work hours." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zhu, Ning, Aleksandra Gaweł & Timo Toikko (2026): Motherhood and Systemic Gender Pay Gap Faced by Women in European Union Countries. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1007/s10834-025-10072-6

Abstract

"Despite progress in reducing gender pay disparities, wage inequalities remain persistent across European Union (EU) countries, and due to motherhood penalties, the situation for mothers is even more disadvantageous compared to childless women. As women are often perceived through the lens of stereotypical maternal roles—even if they are not yet mothers—these expectations frequently intersect with personal choices as well as the embodied and material realities of caregiving. In this study, we examine the impact of motherhood and its interactions with other factors on the gender pay gap from a macro-level systemic perspective, using panel data from 27 EU countries between 2006 and 2022. Key findings indicate that motherhood-related factors such as fertility rates and the timing of childbirth have complex relationships with the pay gap, often interacting through education and flexible work arrangements. While delayed childbirth reduces gender pay gaps by mitigating career interruptions, structural and cultural supports are critical factors in alleviating wage penalties. We also confirm the significant influence of women’s educational attainment, employment rate, and flexibility in employment on wage disparities. The study underscores the importance of integrating family-friendly policies, promoting flexible yet equitable work conditions, and addressing biases surrounding motherhood to achieve gender pay equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Beier, Friederike (2025): Zeiten der Sorge. Ökofeministische Zeitpolitik und die Temporalitäten von more-than-human-care. In: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Jg. 50, H. 1. DOI:10.1007/s11614-025-00591-9

Abstract

"Zeitpolitische Maßnahmen wie die Arbeitszeitverkürzung von Lohnarbeit stehen aktuell im Zentrum gesellschaftlicher und wissenschaftlicher Debatten. Feministische Perspektiven betrachten die Verkürzung der Lohnarbeit als Chance, Sorgearbeit gerechter zu verteilen und Sorgeverantwortliche zu entlasten. Ökologische Ansätze knüpfen daran die Hoffnung, Emissionen und Ressourcenverbrauch durch die Reduktion des Produktionssektors zu verringern. Beide Perspektiven bleiben jedoch in einem lohnarbeitszentrierten und quantitativ orientierten Verständnis von Zeit verhaftet, das den multiplen Rhythmen des Lebens und der Sorge nicht gerecht wird. Dieser Beitrag entwickelt, ausgehend von queerfeministischen Zeittheorien und dem Konzept more-than-human-care , eine zeittheoretische Perspektive, die das Verständnis von (öko)feministischen Zeitpolitiken erweitert. Die Temporalitäten von more-than-human-care werden als multipel, spiralförmig und divergierend konzipiert. Der Artikel argumentiert, dass diese Temporalitäten zentrale Impulse für eine ökofeministische Transformation der Zeitpolitik liefern können, und entwickelt abschließend Prämissen für eine sorgezentrierte ökofeministische Zeitpolitik." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bover, Olympia, Nezih Guner, Yuliya Kulikova, Alessandro Ruggieri & Carlos Sanz (2025): Family-Friendly Policies and Fertility: What Firms Have to Do With It? (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 20411), London, 67 S.

Abstract

"Family-friendly policies aim to help women balance work and family life, encouraging them to participate in the labor market. How effective are such policies in increasing fertility? We answer this question using a search model of the labor market where firms make hiring, promotion, and firing decisions, taking into account how these decisions affect workers' fertility incentives and labor force participation decisions. We estimate the model using administrative data from Spain, a country with very low fertility and a highly regulated labor market. We use the model to study family-friendly policies and demonstrate that firms' reactions result in a trade-off: policies that increase fertility reduce women's participation in the labor market and lower their lifetime earnings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Brunsen, Hendrik, Britta Busse, Kevin Wolnik & Lisbeth Wenzel (2025): Gute Arbeit in Berlin. Ergebnisse einer Beschäftigtenbefragung im Rahmen des ‚DGB-Index Gute Arbeit‘. Berlin, 119 S.

Abstract

"Die Ergebnisse zeigen, an welchen Stellen Beschäftigte ausgebremst oder benachteiligt werden und wo gewonnene Energie eingebüßt wird, aber auch was Beschäftigte an ihrer Arbeit schätzen und woraus sie Motivation und Antrieb ziehen. Dazu wurden beispielsweise Fragen zu den Themen Personalmangel, Einkommen und flexible Arbeitszeiten gestellt und diese unter anderem nach Gleichstellungskriterien ausgewertet. Als Senatorin für Arbeit, Soziales, Gleichstellung, Integration, Vielfalt und Antidiskriminierung ist es mir besonders wichtig, arbeitsmarktrelevante Verbesserungen anzustoßen. Für weitergehende Überlegungen und Diskussionen bieten die vorliegenden Daten eine hervorragende Grundlage. Wobei auch klar ist: Es geht um mehr als Zahlen - es geht um Menschen. Aus den Ergebnissen geht hervor, dass 47 Prozent der Beschäftigten in Berlin in (sehr) hohem Maß von den Folgen des Personalmangels betroffen sind. Besonders deutlich wird dieser Mangel in den Gesundheitsberufen, den Informatikberufen, den naturwissenschaftlichen Berufen sowie in den Verkehrs-, Logistik-, Sicherheits- und Reinigungsberufen bemerkbar. Für Beschäftigte heißt dies häufig zusätzliche Aufgaben und Überlastung, was zur Verschlechterung der Arbeitsbedingungen und der Arbeitsqualität sowie zu sinkender Arbeitszufriedenheit führen kann. Die Umbrüche durch Digitalisierung, demographischen Wandel und die klimagerechte Transformation von Wirtschaft und Arbeitswelt werden branchenbezogene Personal- und Fachkräftebedarfe weiter erhöhen. Der Senat arbeitet auch vor diesem Hintergrund an einer umfassenden Fachkräftestrategie, die Unternehmen und Beschäftigte bei der Transformation unterstützt, bisher ungenutzte Fachkräftepotentiale erschließt und die Aus- und Weiterbildung künftiger Fachkräfte befördern soll. Schlechte Arbeitsbedingungen und Unzufriedenheit der Beschäftigten haben unterschiedliche Ursachen. Eine der am häufigsten angegebenen Belastungsgründe ist eine nicht auskömmliche Bezahlung. Insgesamt 78 Prozent der Befragten, die ihr Einkommen als nicht ausreichend einschätzen, fühlen sich davon (eher) stark belastet. Männer fühlen sich von geringerer Bezahlung stärker belastet. Frauen sind aber in der Regel diejenigen, die durchschnittlich weniger Einkommen erzielen. So lag der Gender-Pay-Gap 2024 immer noch bei 16 Prozent. Um die Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf besser meistern zu können, sind neben der Bezahlung auch alternative Unterstützungsangebote von Arbeitgebenden wie die Nutzung von Homeoffice oder flexible Arbeitszeiten insbesondere für Beschäftigte, die Care Arbeit leisten, sehr wichtig. Vornehmlich in Bezug auf Homeoffice ist hier in über der Hälfte der Betriebe noch Luft nach oben. Ein umso erfreulicheres Ergebnis der Befragung ist, dass sich insgesamt nur sehr wenige Befragte Sorgen um ihre berufliche Zukunft machen. Es ist besonders wichtig, in Mitarbeitende zu investieren und sie weiterzubilden, um ihnen Fähigkeiten im Umgang mit neuen Entwicklungen wie künstlicher Intelligenz mitzugeben." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Cammu, Nola & Stéfanie André (2025): A chip off the old block? Perceptions of intergenerational role modelling through paired depth interviews with fathers and adult sons. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-21. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2025.2584088

Abstract

"During the last few decades, caregiving by fathers has experienced an upsurge in scholarly attention. Although the Netherlands has taken policy measures to enhance work-care equality, a more equal division of work and caregiving is not evident in practice. To better understand the discrepancy between work-care attitudes and work-care behaviour, this paper focuses on the question of who adult sons see as ‘role models’ in their work-care attitudes and behaviour. Fathers and their adult sons (N = 32) were paired depth interviewed about how their work-care attitudes and behaviour are passed down through the generations and how they are influenced by their environment. Three main themes emerged from our data: role modelling as indeterminate; role modelling as dispersed; and the importance of evolved and changing contexts. Fathers draw from a ‘palette’ of dispersed role models to construct their work-care behaviour in accordance with what is (or was) feasible for them and their environment at a given moment in time. In addition, our findings contribute to methodological knowledge of the strengths and limitations of paired depth interviewing as a qualitative research method." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Deschacht, Nick, Sunčica Vujić & Oscar Frison (2025): The Greedy Jobs Phenomenon as a Driving Force Behind the Gender Pay Gap: A Systematic Review. In: De Economist, Jg. 173, H. 1, S. 177-204. DOI:10.1007/s10645-024-09444-4

Abstract

"Greedy jobs can be defined as jobs in which temporal flexibility for workers is costly to organize and in which there are rewards for long hours and constant availability to employers. Despite the mechanisms underlying this concept being familiar to labor economists studying the determinants of the gender wage gap, the label greedy work is not widely utilized in the literature on gender inequality. We therefore provide an identification and systematic review of articles that (implicitly) relate the gender wage gap to greedy jobs. Our findings underscore the importance of policy interventions aimed at promoting workplace flexibility, worker substitutability, provision of affordable childcare solutions, and cash transfers to parents, making jobs less greedy and therefore more compatible with tasks at home." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Elhinnawy, Hind, Morag Kennedy & Silvia Gomes (2025): From public to private: the gendered impact of COVID-19 pandemic on work-life balance and work-family balance. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 291-310. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2023.2265044

Abstract

"This article provides insights into the ways flexible, hybrid and work-from-home arrangements have impacted women during COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK. Based on 10 in-depth interviews with women living and working in the East Midlands, England, who turned to work from home during COVID lockdowns, this study found that despite heightened care needs and the additional burdens women faced during the pandemic, one silver lining was that flexible and hybrid work has positively impacted some. All women spoke about how the pandemic and associated restrictions have altered their conceptualisation of space both positively and negatively. Life during the pandemic gave participants extra care needs and added burdens, but it also gave them more space to be with family and to manage their lives more effectively. This sense of increased space for social and family bonding and life and time management was reduced (again) after the pandemic due to the difficulties women had to bear in balancing the demands of work and family obligations. This article contributes to the studies on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on women's work-life-balance (WLB) and work-family-balance (WFB),demonstrating the need to think of innovative ways to support women's flexible work in the long term." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Famira-Mühlberger, Ulrike & Klaus Nowotny (2025): Predicting the Uptake of Long-Term Care Benefits in Austria. (WIFO working papers 707), Wien, 32 S.

Abstract

"We use administrative microdata and statistical learning methods to analyse how personal characteristics and the consumption of healthcare services help predict the first-time receipt of "long-term care allowance" (LTCA), a needs-tested cash-for-care benefit in Austria. Our findings suggest that short-term information from the health-care sector, particularly in the quarter prior to LTCA enrolment, provides substantial explanatory power. Apart from old age, the most influential predictors include the frequency of doctor visits and hospital stays as well as diagnoses such as dementia, cerebral infarction, and hypertension. Our findings emphasise the importance of data-driven approaches in anticipating the uptake of long-term care benefits and informing policy, especially against the background of the demographic transition." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gasior, Katrin, Silvia Avram & Daria Popova (2025): Invisible gaps: Women’s individual poverty risks and the gendered failings of the adult worker model. In: Economic Systems. DOI:10.1016/j.ecosys.2025.101363

Abstract

"Since the early 2000s, welfare states in Europe have shifted their primary focus from providing social protection against labour market risks to the activation of all individuals into employment. As a way to limit poverty risks, this strategy ignores the ‘care penalties’ many women face in the labour market. Official poverty statistics ignore intrahousehold inequalities in resource allocation, thereby possibly overestimating the economic resources of women. This study contributes to the literature on the gendered consequences of welfare policies by estimating poverty risks for men and women using individualised incomes and assessing the extent to which observed gender gaps in poverty risk can be linked to the adult worker model. Additionally, the role played by taxes and social transfers in mitigating the gender gap in individual poverty risk is examined. Results show that only around one third of women in Europe fit the standard full-time, year-round employment model. Inactive and unemployed women have particularly high individual poverty risks, but even women who work fulltime and are continuously employed are more prone to poverty than men, highlighting the role of gender pay gaps. Social transfers cushion some of the gendered gap in poverty risk, while direct taxes and social insurance contributions have a disequalizing effect at the bottom of income distribution, especially for workers in atypical employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))

Zitatform

Geis-Thöne, Wido (2025): 300.000 Betreuungsplätze für unter Dreijährige fehlen. Eine Betrachtung der Entwicklung von Bestand und Bedarf an Betreuungsplätzen. (IW-Report / Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln 2025,63), Köln, 24 S.

Abstract

"Hatte die Zahl der unter Dreijährigen in institutioneller Betreuung im Jahr 2023 mit 857.000 ihren Höchststand erreicht, ist sie bis zum Jahr 2025 wieder um 56.000 oder 6,5 Prozent auf nur noch 801.000 gesunken. Niedriger lag sie letztmals im Jahr 2018. Ursächlich hierfür sind vorwiegend die stark gesunkenen Kinderzahlen. Lebten Ende des Jahres 2022 noch 2,28 Millionen unter Dreijährige in Deutschland, waren es Ende des Jahres 2024 nur noch 2,12 Millionen. Gleichzeitig ist im letzten Jahr allerdings auch die Betreuungsquote leicht von 38,2 Prozent auf 37,8 Prozent gesunken (jeweils bezogen auf Kinderzahlen nach Korrektur der Bevölkerungsbestände mit dem Zensus 2022), was bisher nur einmal - im Umfeld der Corona-Pandemie im Jahr 2021 - der Fall war. Legt man die Angaben von Eltern zu den Betreuungswünschen für ihre unter Dreijährigen aus dem Vorjahr zugrunde, hätte im Jahr 2025 an sich ein Bedarf an 1,10 Millionen Betreuungsplätzen bestanden, womit sich rechnerisch eine Lücke von 300.000 Plätzen ergibt. Allerdings ist die Lage regional sehr unterschiedlich. Im Osten ist die Zahl der unter Dreijährigen zwischen dem 31. Dezember 2018 und dem 31. Dezember 2023 um 19,6 Prozent zurückgegangen und damit regelrecht eingebrochen. Damit einhergehend ist auch der rechnerische Bedarf an Betreuungsplätzen zwischen den Jahren 2019 und 2025 von 261.000 auf nur noch 213.000 gesunken. Diese negative Entwicklung dürfte sich noch weiter fortsetzen, da sich im Osten bei den Geburten bislang noch keine Trendumkehr abzeichnet. Auch ist die Betreuungsinfrastruktur mit einer Betreuungsquote von 54,9 Prozent im Jahr 2025 bereits sehr gut ausgebaut. So dürfte ein Rückbau nahezu unumgänglich sein. Allerdings betrifft dies nur die Einrichtungen und nicht das freiwerdende Personal, das eingesetzt werden sollte, um die Relationen zwischen den Betreuungskräften und Kindern zu verbessern und so die Qualität der Angebote zu stärken. In Westdeutschland lag der errechnete Bedarf an Betreuungsplätzen im Jahr 2025 mit 890.000 ähnlich hoch wie im Jahr 2019 mit 891.000. Dies erklärt sich nicht nur mit weit weniger stark rückläufigen Kinderzahlen als im Osten, sondern auch mit noch steigenden Betreuungswünschen der Eltern. Insbesondere in Baden-Württemberg und Bayern dürfte hier auch bei weitem noch nicht das Ende erreicht sein, wobei unter anderem auch die von staatlicher Seite gesteuerte Entwicklung der Elternbeiträge und weiterer Aspekte des institutionellen Rahmens einen Einfluss haben können. Derzeit fehlen in diesen beiden Ländern zusammen rechnerisch 87.000 Betreuungsplätze und in Nordrhein-Westfalen 85.000. Relativ zur Zahl der Kinder liegen die Lücken in Bremen, Rheinland-Pfalz, im Saarland und in Nordrhein-Westfalen mit Werten zwischen 18 Prozent und 19 Prozent am höchsten. Insgesamt ergibt sich für Westdeutschland eine Lücke von 15,6 Prozent. Besonders hoch ist die Betreuungsquote in Hamburg mit 49,3 Prozent, wohingegen sie beim Schlusslicht Bremen mit 31,3 Prozent um mehr als ein Drittel niedriger liegt. Dort besucht auch im Alter von drei Jahren noch mehr als ein Fünftel der Kinder keine Kita, was bei einer vergleichsweise heterogenen Bevölkerung mit Blick auf die Entwicklungs- und Teilhabechancen der Kinder sehr problematisch sein kann. Grundsätzlich sollte in den nächsten Jahren nicht nur darauf hingearbeitet werden, flächendeckend Betreuungsangebote zu machen, die die Bedarfe der Eltern möglichst vollständig decken. Wichtig ist es auch, Kinder mit besonderem Unterstützungsbedarf - insbesondere im Bereich des Erwerbs der deutschen Sprache - frühzeitig in die Kitas zu holen, auch wenn sich die Eltern an sich noch nicht unbedingt eine institutionelle Betreuung für sie wünschen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Goldberg, Pinelopi, Charles Gottlieb, Somik V. Lall, Meet Mehta, Michael Peters & Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan (2025): The Global Gender Distortions Index (GGDI). (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 20554), London, 58 S.

Abstract

"The extent to which women participate in the labor market varies greatly across the globe. If such differences reflect distortions that women face in accessing good jobs, they can reduce economic activity through a misallocation of talent. In this paper, we build on Hsieh et al. (2019) to provide a methodology to quantify these productivity consequences. The index we propose, the ”Global Gender Distortions Index (GGDI)”, measures the losses in aggregate productivity that gender-based misallocation imposes. Our index allows us to separately identify labor demand distortions (e.g., discrimination in hiring for formal jobs) from labor supply distortions (e.g., frictions that discourage women’s labor force participation) and can be computed using data on labor income and job types. Our methodology also highlights an important distinction between welfare-relevant misallocation and the consequences on aggregate GDP if misallocation arises between market work and non-market activities. To showcase the versatility of our index, we analyze gender misallocation within countries over time, across countries over the development spectrum, and across local labor markets within countries. We find that misallocation is substantial and that demand distortions account for most of the productivity losses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hank, Karsten, Tobias Gummer, Martin Bujard, Franz J. Neyer, Reinhard Pollak, C. Katharina Spieß, Christof Wolf, Pablo Christmann, Tanja Kunz, Detlev Lück, Robert Naderi, Theresa Nutz, Lisa Schmid & Carolin Thönnissen (2025): A new data infrastructure for family research and demographic analysis: the German Family Demography Panel Study (FReDA). In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 41, H. 2, S. 316-328. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcae019

Abstract

"This data brief introduces the German Family Demography Panel Study (FReDA; https://www.freda-panel.de/), a longitudinal, multi-actor database for family research. Major substantive fields addressed in the questionnaire include fertility-related attitudes and behaviours, reproductive health, work-family conflict, couples’ division of labour, gender roles, intimate relationships, separation and divorce, parenting and intergenerational relations, and well-being. FReDA is based on two initially independent samples: the newly drawn FReDA-GGS sample (n_recruitment = 37,777 respondents, aged 18–49 years), constituting the German contribution to the Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS-II), and the FReDA-pairfam sample (n = 6,216 respondents who originally participated in the German Family Panel [pairfam]). Both samples are fully integrated, using one survey instrument consisting of the harmonized GGS-II and pairfam questionnaires. Mainly web-based interviews, complemented by paper-based interviews, are conducted biannually, with one wave being split across two subwaves. We provide a short description of FReDA’s forerunners—the GGS and pairfam—and give an overview of FReDA’s design and content, its baseline wave (collected in 2021) and data releases, as well as a brief outlook on FReDA’s road ahead." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hennecke, Juliane & Clemens Hetschko (2025): Do you really want to share everything? The well-being of work-linked couples. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 77, H. 2, S. 516-536. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpae036

Abstract

"Work and family life are crucial sources of human well-being, which, however, often interfere. Our analysis focuses on the specific case of couples that work in the same industry and occupation. Based on the economic theory of assortative matching, we argue that such a work link may foster career success and therefore well-being. Our study examines satisfaction differences between work-linked and non-work-linked partners using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel. We estimate the effects of working in the same occupation and/or industry as one’s partner on life satisfaction and satisfaction in four areas of life: income, work, family, and leisure. Being work-linked is positively associated with income satisfaction and might also slightly improve life satisfaction. High-skilled couples seem to benefit in particular. We also find that work-linked couples enjoy higher levels of income and job autonomy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hess, Stephanie & Christian Schneickert (2025): Status Seeking and Work-Family Conflicts: How the Pursuit of Wealth and Success Threatens Family Peace in 26 Countries. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 46, H. 1, S. 146-166. DOI:10.1007/s10834-024-09982-8

Abstract

"This paper takes a cross-national perspective and examines the association between the individual disposition to pursue wealth and success (status seeking) and work–family conflicts. We use data from the 2010 European Social Survey on more than 15,000 individuals from 26 countries who were of working age and living in families with children. The sample selection followed a stratified random sampling strategy and data were collected via computer-assisted personal interviews and pen and pencil interviews administered by trained interview personnel. Employing pooled and comparative single-country regression analyses as well as correlational analyses at the macro-level of countries, our results show that status seeking is related to higher levels of work–family conflict but that the strength of association is vastly different across countries. This individual-level effect is mainly driven by job characteristics and less so by socio-demographics in most of the countries studied. At the country level, better conditions for work and family reconciliation provided by welfare states dampen the effect of ambitiousness on work–family conflict, but only marginally. Interestingly, national wealth (GDP) strengthens the association, while differences in income inequality (Gini coefficient) among countries are not relevant in this regard. Our results highlight the need for a cross-national perspective when determining the antecedents of work–family conflicts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Honda, Ayumi, Mayo Ono, Takahiro Nishida & Sumihisa Honda (2025): The balancing and conflict between work and family life of sandwiched caregivers: A scoping review. In: Safety and Health at Work, Jg. 16, H. 2, S. 156-163. DOI:10.1016/j.shaw.2025.04.004

Abstract

"The aim of this scoping review was to advance our understanding of the balancing and conflict between work and family life experienced by sandwiched caregivers. Five online databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library) were systematically searched between 20 Apr 2024 to 11 July 2024 for articles written in English and published between 1999 and July 2024, focused on the impact factors on work–family life balance and/or conflict of sandwiched caregivers. These database searches identified 58 citations, which results in 46 unique articles following the removal of duplicates. Title and abstract screening were identified for full-text review, twenty of these were excluded at full-text review, and leaving 13 articles for inclusion. We identified and categorized into three key themes: (1) Conflicts between work and family life and (2) Impact of conflicts between work and family life on psychological well-being and (3) Coping for conflicts between work and family life. The literature reviews suggested that the balancing and conflict between work and family life were associated with work hours, flexibilities in work and workplace, and partner support in the sandwiched caregivers. Especially, flexible work arrangements and maintaining social connection were the stress coping strategies for balancing of work and family life. In an aging society, building a truly supportive and flexible workplace culture, along with increasing and utilizing formal care services for child-rearing and aged care, is more effective in promoting the well-being of sandwiched caregivers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institute, Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.) ((en))

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Kesternich, Iris & Thimo De Schouwer (2025): Work Meaning and the Flexibility Puzzle. In: Journal of labor economics. DOI:10.1086/739081

Abstract

"We study heterogeneity in the prevalence of and preferences for workplace flexibility and work meaning. We show that, internationally, women and parents value flexibility more but do not work more flexible jobs. The gender dimension of this flexibility puzzle is related to differences in meaningful work, which women value higher and sort into, at a significant price corresponding to 20 to 70% less flexibility. The parental dimension is connected to preferences for meaning and flexibility diverging after childbirth. We show through counterfactuals that making meaningful jobs more flexible reduces the gender gap in total compensation by almost a quarter." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kurowska, Anna, Agnieszka Kasperska & Gayle Kaufman (2025): When Working From Home Fails to Support Work–Life Balance: The Role of Childcare- and Work-Related Demands. In: Journal of Family Issues, Jg. 46, H. 11, S. 1664-1692. DOI:10.1177/0192513x251356260

Abstract

"The new normal of working from home (WFH) brought by the COVID-19 pandemic enabled parents to manage increased childcare demands while working remotely. Using multi-country data from the Familydemic Harmonized Dataset (n = 9364), this study examines how WFH was related to perceived changes in work–life balance (WLB) among mothers and fathers, considering the moderating role of childcare- and work-related demands. Overall, WFH was positively associated with improved WLB, regardless of partnership status. However, this relationship weakened for mothers whose children were out of formal childcare for over a month and when they increased their working hours. Furthermore, we found that fathers who extended their working hours while WFH were more likely to report worsened WLB than those working in the office. These findings, though based on mid-2021 data, remain relevant post-pandemic as parents continue to navigate the challenges of WFH, childcare, and demanding work schedules." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Labbas, Elisa & Maria Stanfors (2025): Unpaid Care for Elderly Parents and Labor Supply Among Older Working-Age Men and Women Across Europe. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 31, H. 3, S. 72-98. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2025.2530081

Abstract

"With population aging, more adults across Europe face competing demands of working for pay and caring for elderly family members. Associated tradeoffs are expected to be negative, gendered, and vary across contexts with different levels of gender equality, public support for eldercare, and work-family balance. Using SHARE data from 2004–20, thisstudy investigates how unpaid caregiving to independently living parents relates to labor supply among mature working-age (50–64) men and women across Europe. Results find limited tradeoffs between unpaid caregiving and labor supply, even where public support for eldercare is low. Caregiving associates with men’s and women’s employment and full-time work in similar ways. Gender differences nevertheless exist in both paid work and caregiving across Europe, especially in Continental and Southern Europe. These differences are established before midlife and build up across the life course and should be addressed when designing policies for longer working lives in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Leshchenko, Olga & Heejung Chung (2025): Telecommuting and division of domestic work: the role of gender role attitudes in Germany. In: European Sociological Review, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcaf046

Abstract

"Telecommuting is often portrayed as a work-life balance measure. Though, in theory, telecommuting can provide workers with more time for leisure and family, due to the boundary blurring between work and life spheres, it can exacerbate gender inequalities by pushing women to carry out more domestic work while increasing men’s time in paid work. Empirically, the evidenceis mixed. We extend the debate by exploring how individuals’ gender role attitudes (GRA) moderate the relationship between telecommuting and the division of domestic work. We apply hybrid models to the German Family Panel data. The data covers the timespan from 2008 to 2021, which includes the unique COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that GRA matter. When getting access to telecommuting, egalitarian men increased their contribution to childcare, while traditional men did not. Similarly, telecommuting traditional women increased their childcare contribution. The pattern remained the same during the expansion of telecommuting due to the COVID-19 pandemic: only telecommuting traditional women and telecommuting egalitarian men increased their childcare contribution. The results of this study suggest that telecommuting has the potential to serve as a ‘great equaliser’. However, achieving this requires actively promoting more egalitarian views on gender roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Leshchenko, Olga & Susanne Strauss (2025): Flexible working time arrangements and work-life conflict: The role of gender and housework. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 37, S. 205-226. DOI:10.20377/jfr-1186

Abstract

"Fragestellung:In diesem Artikel untersuchen wir, wie die Beziehung zwischen flexiblen Arbeitszeitarrangements und dem Konflikt zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben (work–to–life conflict) sowie zwischen Privatleben und Erwerbsarbeit (life–to–work conflict) durch eine (un)gleiche Aufteilung der Hausarbeit bei heterosexuellen Paaren moderiert wird.Hintergrund:Flexible Arbeitszeitarrangements können Arbeitnehmer/innen mehr Autonomie bei der Balance zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben ermöglichen. Bisherige Studien haben jedoch gezeigt, dass diese Flexibilität auf geschlechtsspezifische Weise genutzt wird: Während Frauen mit flexiblen Arbeitszeitarrangements mehr Zeit für die Hausarbeit aufwenden, erhöhen Männer ihre Erwerbsarbeitszeit. Unser Artikel baut auf diesen Befunden auf und untersucht, wie die Heterogenität in der Aufteilung der Hausarbeit in Paarhaushalten die Beziehung zwischen flexiblen Arbeitszeitregelungen und Konflikten zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben moderiert.Methode:Die Analysen basieren auf dem Deutschen Familienpanel (pairfam), Welle 12 (2019-2020) und umfassen 2.032 erwerbstätige Personen in einer Partnerschaft (1.162 Frauen und 870 Männer). Die multivariaten Analysen basieren auf linearen Regressionsmodellen.Ergebnisse:Vom Unternehmen festgelegte und autonome Arbeitszeitmodelle sind mit größeren Konflikten zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben (work–to–life conflict) verbunden, insbesondere bei Männern, während Frauen mit vollständiger Kontrolle über ihre Arbeitszeiten seltener über Konflikte berichten. Das Ausmaß des Konflikts zwischen Privatleben und Erwerbsarbeit (life–to–work conflict) ist bei den verschiedenen Arbeitszeitmodellen ähnlich, mit Ausnahme von Frauen mit Gleitzeit, die öfter über einen Konflikt berichteten. Die Einbindung in die Hausarbeit spielt insofern eine Rolle als Frauen, die den Großteil der Hausarbeit übernehmen, bei flexiblen Arbeitszeitarrangements mit größeren Konflikten zwischen Privatleben und Erwerbsarbeit (life–to–work conflict) konfrontiert sind. Männer mit unternehmensdefinierten Arbeitszeitarrangements berichten hingegen häufiger über Konflikte in beide Richtungen (also work–to–life conflict sowie life–to–work conflict), wenn sie sich die Hausarbeit gleichberechtigt mit ihrer Partnerin teilen.Schlussfolgerung:Der Zugang zu flexiblen Arbeitszeitarrangements allein verringert die Konflikte zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben nicht unbedingt, da die Auswirkungen sowohl vom Geschlecht als auch von der Hausarbeitsverteilung im Paarhaushalt abhängen" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lütolf, Meret (2025): The Balancing Act of Working Mothers and Caring Fathers. Impact of Family Policy on Egalitarianism in Families in Western Democracies. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 220 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-47716-5

Abstract

"This Open-Access-book explores how egalitarian parental leave policies can support a more balanced division of paid work and caregiving. Introducing a novel analysis grid and a unique dataset, Meret Lütolf examines parental leave policies in five countries – United States, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, and Sweden – revealing how fully paid, non-transferable leave can promote gender-neutral caregiving roles. Key findings highlight the connection between longer paternal leave and a more equal distribution of unpaid work, along with fathers’ willingness to reduce paid work hours in favor of caregiving. By combining multiple research methods, the study links policy intentions with real-life outcomes and identifies feasible reforms, including full wage replacement, that can enhance egalitarianism without raising policy costs. Offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and advocates, this book demonstrates how parental leave policies can contribute to more equal family dynamics and address broader gender inequalities in society." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maclean, Joanna Catherine & Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia (2025): The Effects of State Paid Sick Leave Mandates on Parental Childcare Time. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17786), Bonn, 75 S.

Abstract

"Unlike most developed countries, the U.S. lacks a federal paid sick leave policy. As a result, many workers must choose between losing earnings and attending to childcare responsibilities. To date, 17 states and the District of Columbia have adopted or announced paid sick leave mandates that provide up to seven days of paid leave per year that can be used for family responsibilities and healthcare. In this study, we estimate the effects of state paid sick leave mandates on parents' time spent providing childcare using time diaries from the 2004–2023 American Time Use Survey. Findings from difference-in-differences estimators suggest that post-mandate, parental time spent providing childcare increases by 5.8%. Effects are stronger among women with younger children. Overall, our findings suggest that paid sick leave mandates allow parents to better balance work and family responsibilities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Marcén, Miriam & Marina Morales (2025): The gender gap in working from home after the onset of COVID-19. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 23, H. 4, S. 1459-1486. DOI:10.1007/s11150-025-09809-x

Abstract

"This study examines changes in the gender gap in the take up and intensity of working from home following the unexpected onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the American Time Use Survey, we find that working from home became more prevalent among women than men, thus widening the gender gap. Job characteristics played a crucial role in this trend, particularly among private sector workers. The gender gap widened most significantly among young, highly educated individuals and those living with dependents. Moreover, our results suggest that social distancing measures increased working from home time for men but did not have the same effect on women. We also extend our analysis to other work-related outcomes, finding that women experienced less favorable outcomes, particularly an increase in unpredictable or non-standard schedules. Overall, this shift in the gender gap is statistically significant over time and remains robust." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Matavelli, Ieda, Pauline Grosjean, Ralph De Haas & Victoria Baranov (2025): Masculinity Norms and Their Economic Consequences. (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 20549), London, 37 S., Anhang.

Abstract

"While economists have extensively studied gender norms affecting women, masculinity norms — the informal rules that guide and constrain the behaviors of boys and men — remain underexplored. This review first examines how other disciplines have studied masculinity, providing economists with conceptual foundations and empirical patterns for understanding masculinity norms. We then discuss how the study of masculinity norms can inform the economics literature on gender gaps and men's outcomes across multiple domains: health behavior, labor supply and occupational choice, violence and aggression, and political preferences. We also discuss the paths for transmission and persistence of masculinity norms. Finally, using novel survey data from 70 countries, we present five stylized facts about masculinity norms. We document substantial global variation in these norms and demonstrate their predictive power for various socioeconomic and political Outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mogstad, Magne, Kjell G. Salvanes & Gaute Torsvik (2025): Income Equality in The Nordic Countries: Myths, Facts, and Lessons. (BFI Working Papers / University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics 2025,25), Chicago, 58 S. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.5133608

Abstract

"Policymakers, public commentators, and researchers often cite the Nordic countries as examples of a social and economic model that successfully combines low income inequality with prosperity and growth. This article aims to critically assess this claim by integrating theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence to illustrate how the Nordic model functions and why these countries experience low inequality. Our analysis suggests that income equality in the Nordics is primarily driven by a significant compression of hourly wages, reducing the returns to labor market skills and education. This appears to be achieved through a wage bargaining system characterized by strong coordination both within and across industries. This finding contrasts with other commonly cited explanations for Nordic income equality, such as redistribution through the tax-transfer system, public spending on goods that complement employment, and public policies aimed at equalizing skills and human capital distribution. We consider the potential lessons for other economies that seek to reduce income equality. We conclude by discussing several underexplored or unresolved questions and issues." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Moroni, Gloria, Cheti Nicoletti, Kjell G. Salvanes & Emma Tominey (2025): Gender Equality Through Marriage. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 18288), Bonn, 40 S., App.

Abstract

"We revisit the economic effects of marriage, analysing its heterogeneous impact on the intra-household labour division following childbirth. Can marriage promote coordination of work and child activities between parents and a gender egalitarian division of labour? Using a marginal treatment effect framework, we find the average effect of marriage is to increase parental specialization and worsen the mother's child penalty. However, we find differences across couples with varying resistance to marriage. While traditional couples (low-resistance) exhibit increased specialization; in modern couples (high-resistance) fathers have an earnings penalty and take more paternity leave, suggesting more coordination and gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nivakoski, Sanna & Marianna Baggio (2025): Unpaid care in the EU. (Eurofound research report / European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Dublin, 80 S. DOI:10.2806/5774709

Abstract

"As countries face increasing pressure when it comes to providing care services, unpaid caregivers make an invaluable contribution. Care is needed at all ages of life, particularly when individuals face health issues or disabilities. The majority of care is provided within families, without financial compensation. This report investigates the situation of unpaid carers, focusing on their characteristics and the type of care and support they provide. It also looks at their time-use patterns, their well-being and the challenges they encounter. The report analyses how unpaid caregivers are defined across the EU and examines national-level policies aimed at supporting them. While the analysis covers all unpaid carers, including those providing childcare and long-term care, a specific focus is placed on two groups: young caregivers and those providing multiple types of unpaid care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Petts, Richard J., Daniel L. Carlson & Chris Knoester (2025): Paternity leave-taking and US Fathers’ participation in housework. In: Journal of Social Policy, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1017/s0047279425100901

Abstract

"Paternity leave may promote greater gender equality in domestic labor. Though numerous studies show that paternity leave promotes greater fathers ’ involvement in childcare, less is known about whether paternity leave-taking may facilitate fathers’ involvement in other forms of domestic labor such as housework. Using repeated cross-sectional data on different-gender partnered US parents from the Study on Parents’ Divisions of Labor During COVID-19 (SPDLC), this study examines the extent to which paternity leave-taking and length of paternity leave are associated with US fathers’ shares of, and time spent on, housework. Findings suggest that paternity leave-taking is positively associated with fathers’ shares of, and time spent on, housework tasks. Longer paternity leaves are also associated with fathers performing greater shares of housework. Overall, this study indicates that the benefits of paternity leave likely extend to fathers’ greater participation in housework, providing additional support for the belief that increased use of paternity leave may help to promote gender equality in domestic labor." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ramos, Vincent Jerald, Michaela Kreyenfeld, Enrique Alonso-Perez, Paul Gellert, Jan Paul Heisig & Julie Lorraine O’Sullivan (2025): Future Caregiving Responsibilities, Employment Uncertainties, and Expected Childbearing Behavior: Survey Experimental Evidence from Germany. In: Population Research and Policy Review, Jg. 44, H. 5. DOI:10.1007/s11113-025-09969-9

Abstract

"In societies experiencing declining birth rates, understanding factors that influence childbearing decisions is of interest. We used a factorial survey experiment to investigate how scenarios of future caregiving responsibilities toward aging parents and employment uncertainties shape the expected childbearing behavior of a fictitious couple. Respondents from the nationally representative German Socio-Economic Panel Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS) (n = 1,750) were randomly assigned to five vignettes, each describing a hypothetical couple with varying levels of caregiving responsibilities towards an aging parent and employment uncertainties. Respondents subsequently rated their expectations about the hypothetical couple’s childbearing behavior within the next three years using an 11-point scale. Results show that high caregiving responsibilities and dual employment uncertainties reduce expected childbearing behavior by 2.8 and 1.9 units respectively, compared to when these are absent. The negative effect of high caregiving responsibilities is more pronounced among women, while respondents ’ own caregiving and employment experiences do not moderate these effects. These results demonstrate how both future-oriented caregiving responsibilities and employment uncertainties alter expectations about family formation and highlight the scenarios that are regarded as more or less favorable for childbearing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Recchi, Sara, Anne-Iris Romens & Gemma Scalise (2025): Post-pandemic remote work and the Italian care model: constraint or opportunity? In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 45, H. 13/14, S. 19-33. DOI:10.1108/ijssp-10-2024-0497

Abstract

"Purpose: Building on Mary Daly’s typology of care policies, this article explores whether and to what extent remote work in post-pandemic times is still considered a tool to cope with the limits of care measures, despite the exit from the emergency phase. We argue that in countries characterized by a familialistic care regime, such as Italy, there is a risk that the adoption of remote work may be distorted by limited conciliation tools and care provisions and fosters gender inequalities. Design/methodology/approach The article is based on a case study on Milan, which is an interesting context for multiple reasons. Italy is characterised by limited conciliation tools, weak childcare provisions and significant gender inequalities in the labor market, but in Milan female employment is well above the national average and remote work is more widespread. The research is qualitatively driven, as it is built upon interviews with remote workers, HR managers and union officials. These data are completed with a survey that involved 285 remote workers. Findings Remote work continues to be used by parents as a substitute tool to compensate for underdeveloped public care services and employment-related provisions. Moreover, this practice affects gender inequalities, as women are more inclined to perform their tasks remotely overtime and in spaces not dedicated to work. Originality/value While several studies have stressed the impact of remote work on work-life balance and the unequal gender distribution of care work during the pandemic, there is little knowledge about what is happening in the post-pandemic period." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schaber, Ronja, Tirza Patella, Josefine Simm & Susan Garthus-Niegel (2025): German Parents Attaining Intrapersonal Work-Family Balance While Implementing the 50/50-Split-Model with Their Partners. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 46, H. 1, S. 259-276. DOI:10.1007/s10834-024-09989-1

Abstract

"Work-family balance (WFB) is attained if parents combine work and family roles aligned with their values. For an egalitarian parent aiming to implement a 50/50-split-model, this means sharing paid work, childcare, and housework equally with their partner (involvement balance), performing well in all roles (effective balance), while having positive emotions (emotional balance). This is difficult since work and family are competing for time and attention. Therefore, this article presents resources which can help parents attain WFB within a 50/50-split-model. Quantitative data of n = 1036 couples participating in the Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health (DREAM) were used to calculate the implementation rate of the 50/50-split-model at 14 months postpartum. Quantitative DREAM data were screened to purposively select n = 25 participants implementing a 50/50-split-model for the qualitative study DREAM TALK . Problem-centered interviews were conducted and analyzed via qualitative content analysis. Quantitative results showed a 50/50-split-model implementation rate of 3.8–17.5% among German parents. Qualitative results revealed 14 individual- and eight macro-level resources to facilitate WFB within a 50/50-split-model. Individual-level examples are acknowledging benefits of childcare assistance, segmentation from paid work and controversially, in other situations, integration of paid work and family. Macro-level examples are availability of childcare assistance, of solo paternal leave, paid work < 39 h/week, employee flexibility options, and family-friendly workplace cultures. To conclude, the full potential of individual-level resources applied by parents is attained when supported by macro-level resources provided by politics and employers. Parents, politics, and employers can facilitate WFB within the 50/50-split-model to foster gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Schepan, Marie Lisanne, Malte Sandner, Gabriella Conti, Sören Kliem & Tilman Brand (2025): Maternal and Child Health Following 2 Home Visiting Interventions vs Control. Five-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial. In: JAMA pediatrics, Jg. 179, H. 4, S. 367-374., 2024-11-05. DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.5929

Abstract

"Home-based interventions targeting socially disadvantaged families may help to improve maternal and child health. Only a few studies have investigated how different staffing models affect early home visiting program outcomes. To assess the effects of 2 staffing models of an early childhood intervention on mother and child outcomes. The baseline assessment of this randomized trial was conducted between November 2006 and December 2009 in 15 municipalities in Germany. The follow-up assessment at offspring age 7 years was carried out by interviewers masked to treatment conditions from April 2015 to December 2017. Data analysis was performed from March to August 2023. Pregnant women with no previous live birth, low-income, and at least 1 additional psychosocial risk factor were eligible. A total of 1157 women were referred to the study by gynecologists, psychosocial counseling services, or employment agencies; 755 were randomized to treatment conditions (2 intervention groups and 2 control groups); and 525 completed the follow-up. Based on the Nurse-Family Partnership program, women assigned to the intervention groups received visits by either a midwife (midwife-only model) or by a team consisting of a social worker and a midwife (tandem model) until child age 2 years. Women assigned to control groups had access to the standard health and social services. Average treatment effects (ATEs) on the following primary outcomes were assessed using adjusted regression models with inverse probability weighting: developmental disorders, child behavioral problems, adverse, neglectful and abusive parenting, maternal mental health, and life satisfaction. The mean (SD) age at follow-up was 29.6 (4.36) years for mothers and 7.55 (0.75) years for children; 272 (52.2%) of the children were female. Mothers in the tandem model reported fewer internalizing child behavioral problems compared to their control group (ATE, 2.98; 95% CI, −5.49 to −0.47; absolute reduction, 13.3 percentage points). Beneficial intervention effects were found in the midwife-only group on abusive parenting (ATE, −4.00; 95% CI, −6.82 to −1.18), parenting stress (ATE, −0.13; 95% CI, −0.20 to −0.06), and maternal mental health burden (ATE, −3.63; 95% CI, −6.03 to −1.22; absolute reduction, 6.6 percentage points in depressive symptoms), but not in the tandem group. Both staffing models produced positive intervention effects, with more effects seen in the midwife-only model. These insights can guide future early childhood intervention designs and may help improve health care for socially disadvantaged families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © JAMA Network) ((en))

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Schneider, Kimberly T., Sarah C. Williams & Rory E. Kuhn (2025): Workplace Discrimination Against Pregnant and Postpartum Employees: Links to Well-Being. In: International journal of environmental research and public health, Jg. 22, H. 8. DOI:10.3390/ijerph22081160

Abstract

"Pregnancy-related discrimination at work is a concern for many employees who navigate the pregnancy and postpartum stages of parenthood while working in the early-to-middle stages of their careers. Although there is legislation prohibiting pregnancy-related discrimination and ensuring accommodations postpartum, empirical evidence indicates many pregnant and postpartum employees still experience such behaviors. In this narrative review, we focus on describing the range of behaviors assessed in studies on pregnancy-related discrimination in several cultures, situating the occurrence of discrimination within theoretical frameworks related to stereotypes and gendered expectations. We also review evidence of employees’ postpartum experiences with a focus on the transition back to work, along with breastfeeding challenges related to pumping and storing milk at work. Regarding coping with pregnancy-related workplace discrimination and postpartum challenges during a return to work, we review the importance of social support, including instrumental and emotional support from allies and role models." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Simón-Albert, Raquel, Matías Mayor, José M. Casado-Díaz & Hipólito Simón (2025): Mapping the Determinants of Female Employment: Labour Market Areas and Spatial Spillovers. In: Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie, S. 1-21. DOI:10.1111/tesg.70057

Abstract

"This paper examines the territorial determinants of female employment rates using labour market areas (LMAs) – functional units based on commuting patterns – to mitigate the Modifiable AreaUnit Problem (MAUP). Drawing on detailed Spanish census microdata and spatial econometrics, we find that male unemployment negatively affects female employment through a discouraged worker effect , whereas higher shares of part-time jobs, medium household income, and a greater proportion of immigrant women from emerging countries are associated with better female employment outcomes. Certain aspects of local economic structure, particularly a larger service sector, positively influence women’s employment. Comparing spatial and non-spatial specifications shows only modest gains, consistent with limited cross-area spillovers when the analysis relies on functionally defined units. Overall, the evidence supports LMAs as appropriate territorial units and highlights the importance of care-related and income-based interventions, together with efforts to broaden sectoral opportunities for women and to improve data availability at the functional-area level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2025): Gender Equality Index 2024: Sustaining momentum on a fragile path. (Gender equality index ...), Vilnius, 118 S. DOI:10.2839/9523460

Abstract

"Since 2010, the Gender Equality Index has set a benchmark for equality between women and men to guide decision-makers on policies and goals for a more balanced and inclusive society across the EU by highlighting what is working and where, and what is not working. Chapter 1 presents the results of the Gender Equality Index 2024, along with key trends since the 2023 edition and between 2010 and 2022. A convergence analysis reveals diverse progress patterns at the national level while providing a broader context for Index findings. Chapters 2–8 summarise the policy context, the EU and country scores in key Index domains and how these scores link to violence against women. An intersectional approach exposes different layers of inequality across domains." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Adams, Ayhan (2024): Coparenting and conflicts between work and family: Between-within analysis of German mothers and fathers. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 36, S. 262-282. DOI:10.20377/jfr-1013

Abstract

"Objective: The study examines the relationship between coparenting conflicts and work-to-family/family-to-work conflicts for employed mothers and fathers. Background: The presence of children exacerbates the compatibility of work and duties of the private life for working parents. Working along similar lines in terms of parenting seems to be necessary to cope with these challenges. Still, a few studies have focused on the relationship between coparenting and interrole conflicts. Method: The quantitative analysis draws on longitudinal data from waves 6 to 10 of the German Family Panel, comprising N=3,608 observations of 1,377 individuals. The study employs between-within regression models to examine the inter- and intraindividual associations of coparenting conflicts and work-to-family/family-to-work conflicts. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant association between the level of coparenting conflicts and both, work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. Additionally, changes in coparenting conflicts are associated with changes in family-to-work conflicts. Interestingly, the interaction between the level of coparenting conflicts and gender shows that the associations with interrole conflicts are more pronounced for fathers than mothers. Conclusion: The study provides insights into the interrelatedness between the parental coparenting relationship and the compatibility of work and family. The results underscore the significant relationship between coparenting conflicts and interrole conflicts for mothers and fathers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Alsarve, Jenny (2024): Managing families, managing time. Parents’ work-family difficulties and work-family strategies over time. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2024.2425377

Abstract

"This article contributes expanded knowledge about parents’ difficulties in reconciling work and family and their work-family strategies by studying how these difficulties and strategies change over time, e.g. from the early childhood years to the school-age/preteen years. Drawing on qualitative, longitudinal interviews with Swedish parents of school-age children who were interviewed when their first child was about 1.5 years of age, and then later when that child was 11 years of age, the article addresses the following research questions: What are the main difficulties in the parents’ reconciliation ofpaid work and caring responsibilities, and how have these difficulties changed over time? What are the parents’ most important work-family strategies for reconciling paid work and caring responsibilities and how have these strategies changed over time? The article draws on theories of work-family conflict, gender and time, and the results indicate change and continuity concerning the work-family difficulties and work-family strategies. Time famine appears to be a central difficulty that is consistent throughout the years. The findings also indicate gendered aspects of some of the strategies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Calvo, Paula, Ilse Lindenlaub & Ana Reynoso (2024): Marriage Market and Labor Market Sorting. In: The Review of Economic Studies, Jg. 91, H. 6, S. 3316-3361. DOI:10.1093/restud/rdae010

Abstract

"We develop a new equilibrium model in which households’ labor supply choices form the link between sorting on the marriage market and sorting on the labor market. We first show that in theory, the nature of home production—whether partners’ hours are complements or substitutes—shapes equilibrium labor supply as well as marriage and labour market sorting. We then estimate our model using German data to empirically assess the nature of home production, and find that spouses’ home hours are complements. We investigate to what extent complementarity in home hours drives sorting and inequality. We find that home production complementarity strengthens positive marriage sorting and reduces the gender gap in hours and in labor sorting. This puts significant downward pressure on the gender wage gap and on within-household income inequality, but fuels between-household inequality. Our estimated model sheds new light on the sources of inequality in today’s Germany, and—by identifying important shifts in home production technology toward more complementarity—on the evolution of inequality over time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Carreri, Anna, Manuela Naldini & Alessia Tuselli (2024): Inequalities in Academic Work during COVID-19: The Intersection of Gender, Class, and Individuals’ Life-Course Stage. In: Social Sciences, Jg. 13, H. 3. DOI:10.3390/socsci13030162

Abstract

"Research studies on academic work and the COVID-19 crisis have clearly shown that the pandemic crisis contributed to exacerbating pre-existing gender gaps. Although the research has been extensive in this regard, it has focused more on the widening of the “motherhood penalty”, while other groups of academics are blurred. Even more underinvestigated and not yet fully explained are the intersections between further axes of diversity, often because the research conducted during the pandemic was based on a small volume of in-depth data. By drawing on interview data from a wider national research project, this article aims to contribute to this debate by adopting an intersectional approach. In investigating daily working life and work–life balance during the pandemic of a highly heterogeneous sample of 127 Italian academics, this article sheds light on how gender combines with other axes of asymmetry, particularly class (precarious versus stable and prestigious career positions) and age (individuals’ life-course stage), to produce specific conditions of interrelated (dis)advantage for some academics. The analysis reveals three household and family life course types that embody the interlocking of gender, class, and age within a specific social location with unequal, and possibly long-term, consequences for the quality of working life, well-being, and careers of academics, living alone or with parents, couples without children or with grown-up children, and couples with young children and other family members in need of care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cho, Hyojin, Susan J. Lambert, Emily Ellis & Julia R. Henly (2024): How Work Hour Variability Matters for Work-to-Family Conflict. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 6, S. 1611-1635. DOI:10.1177/09500170231218191

Abstract

"Variable work hours are an understudied source of work-to-family conflict (WFC). We examine the relationships between the magnitude and direction of work hour variability and WFC and whether work hour control and schedule predictability moderate these relationships. We estimate a series of linear regressions using the 2016 US General Social Survey, examining women and men workers separately and together. Findings indicate that as the magnitude of work hour variability increases, so does WFC, controlling for the usual number of hours worked. Work hour control helps to protect workers, especially women, from WFC when work hour variability is high and hours surge. Although schedule predictability tempers the relationship between work hour variability and WFC, its potency diminishes as variability increases. Our study emphasizes the potential benefit to workers and families of government policies and employer practices that promote work hour stability, schedule predictability, and equity in employee work hour control." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chung, Heejung (2024): National family policies and the association between flexible working arrangements and work-to-family conflict across Europe. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 36, S. 229-249. DOI:10.20377/jfr-1002

Abstract

"Objective: This paper explores how national family policies moderate the association between flexible working arrangements and work-to-family conflict across countries. Background: Although flexible working is provided to enhance work-family integration, studies show that it can in fact increase work-to-family conflict. However, certain policy contexts can help moderate this association by introducing contexts that enable workers to use of flexible working arrangements to better meet their family and other life demands. Method: The paper uses the European Working Conditions Survey of 2015 including data from workers with caring responsibilities from across 30 European countries. It uses a multilevel cross-level interaction model to examine how family policies, such as childcare and parental leave policies, can explain the cross-national variation in the association between flexible working arrangements, that is flexitime, working-time autonomy, and teleworking, and work-to-family conflict. Results: At the European average, flexible working was associated with higher levels of work-to-family conflict for workers, with working-time-autonomy being worse for men’s, and teleworking being worse for women ’s conflict levels. In countries with generous childcare policies, flexitime was associated with lower levels of work-to-family conflict, especially for women. However, in countries with long mother’s leave, working-time-autonomy was associated with even higher levels of work-to-family conflict for men. Conclusion: The results of this paper evidence how flexible working arrangements need to be introduced in a more holistic manner with possible reforms of wider range of family policies in order for flexible working to meet worker’s work-family integration demands." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ciasullo, Ludovica & Martina Uccioli (2024): What Works for Working Couples? Work Arrangements, Maternal Labor Supply, and the Division of Home Production. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16991), Bonn, 87 S.

Abstract

"We document how a change to work arrangements reduces the child penalty in labor supply for women, and that the consequent more equal distribution of household income does not translate into a more equal division of home production between mothers and fathers. The Australian 2009 Fair Work Act explicitly entitled parents of young children to request a (reasonable) change in work arrangements. Leveraging variation in the timing of the law, timing of childbirth, and the bite of the law across different occupations and industries, we establish three main results. First, the Fair Work Act was used by new mothers to reduce their weekly working hours without renouncing their permanent contract, hence maintaining a regular schedule. Second, with this work arrangement, working mothers’ child penalty declined from a 47 percent drop in hours worked to a 38 percent drop. Third, while this implies a significant shift towards equality in the female- and male-shares of household income, we do not observe any changes in the female (disproportionate) share of home production." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Conti, Gabriella, Sören Kliem & Malte Sandner (2024): Early Home Visiting Delivery Model and Maternal and Child Mental Health at Primary School Age. In: AEA papers and proceedings, Jg. 114, S. 401-406., 2024-01-24. DOI:10.1257/pandp.20241087

Abstract

"We study the impacts of a prenatal and infancy home visiting program targeting disadvantaged families on mental health outcomes, assessed through diagnostic interviews. The program significantly reduced the prevalence of mental health conditions for both mothers and children, measured at primary-school age, and broke the intergenerational association of these conditions. The impacts are predominantly associated with a particular delivery model, wherein a single home visitor interacts with the family, as opposed to a model involving two home visitors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Filippi, Silvia, Mara Yerkes, Michèlle Bal, Bryn Hummel & John de Wit (2024): (Un)deserving of work-life balance? A cross country investigation of people's attitudes towards work-life balance arrangements for parents and childfree employees. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 27, H. 1, S. 116-134. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2022.2099247

Abstract

"Work-life balance (WLB) represents a fundamental part of people’s well-being and is a key policy priority at national and organizational levels in many industrialized countries. Yet a significant gap exists in our understanding of employees’ ability to use WLB arrangements, particularly employees without children. We address this gap by exploring the perceived deservingness of childfree employees to use WLB arrangements in Italy and the Netherlands. Using a 2 × 2 experimental design, we study the perceived deservingness of childfree people to use organisational work-life balance arrangements compared to parents, with a particular focus on gender and country differences. We further investigate the attribution of priority to make use of work-life balance arrangements across these same groups. While we find no significant differences in perceptions of deservingness, the results do show significant differences in who is considered to need priority in using WLB arrangements in the workplace. Respondents attribute greater priority to female employees with children than female employees without children. The attribution of priority for male employees does not differ between parents and childfree employees. This interaction effect was only found in the Italian sample. We discuss the implications of our results for our understanding of work-life balance policy supports." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Harris, Candice & Jarrod Haar (2024): Work and family interaction management: the case for zigzag working. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 35, H. 18, S. 3001-3023. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2024.2390986

Abstract

"The present study seeks to advance understanding of the interaction of work and family roles. Typically, while the intersection of these domains is established as either being detrimental (i.e. work-family conflict) or beneficial (i.e. work-family enrichment), we argue there is a fundamental issue with timing. Specifically, we offer zigzag working as an approach to understanding how work and family interact. We suggest, rather than roles operating separately (e.g. work to family or family to work), the reality of work is where employees have work and family roles intersecting simultaneously. We believe this provides unique insights for those with dependent responsibilities, representing potentially both a unique challenge and benefit. Our study has two samples (n?=?318 employees and n?=?373 managers) and we find support for zigzag working at the day-level and while it is positively related to work-family conflict dimensions it is also positively related to happiness. Overall, our paper offers a new lens on work-family border negotiation, providing empirical evidence showing that zigzag working does occur and that it appears to have unique properties. Importantly, zigging and zagging around work and dependents during a typical day represents both positive and negative effects, highlighting a unique occurrence within the literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Haupt, Andreas & Dafna Gelbgiser (2024): The gendered division of cognitive household labor, mental load, and family–work conflict in European countries. In: European Societies, Jg. 26, H. 3, S. 828-854. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2023.2271963

Abstract

"The unequal division of cognitive labor within households, and its potential association with mental load and stress, has gained substantial interest in recent public and scholarly discussions. We aim to deepen this debate theoretically and empirically. First, going beyond the question of whether the division of cognitive labor is gendered, we connect cognitive household labor with existing stress theories and ask whether men and women typically perform cognitive labor tasks that involve different levels of stress. We then discuss whether women perform these stressful tasks more often, making them more prone to higher levels of Family–work conflict. Second, we test the association between the division of cognitive labor and Family–work conflict empirically using large-scale survey data from 10 European countries within the Generations & Gender Programme (GGP). Results based on logistic regressions confirm that a high share of cognitive labor increases women's Family–work conflict, but not men's. We discuss future directions in the conceptualization and measurement of cognitive labor in the household and its implications for mental load. Through its contributions, this paper lays the foundations for a comprehensive understanding of the implications of an unequal division of cognitive labor in the household for gender inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hermann, Michaela & Luisa Kunze (2024): Gleichstellung am Arbeitsmarkt? Aktuelle Herausforderungen und Potenziale von Frauenerwerbstätigkeit in Deutschland. (Factsheet / Bertelsmann Stiftung), Gütersloh, 14 S. DOI:10.11586/2023085

Abstract

"Die Erwerbstätigenquote von Frauen in Deutschland ist mit knapp 78 Prozent im europäischen Vergleich eine der höchsten. Da jedoch fast die Hälfte aller 20- bis 64-jährigen Frauen (48 Prozent) in Teilzeit arbeitet, ist ihre tatsächliche Erwerbsstundenzahl vergleichsweise gering. Dabei sind Frauen häufig hochqualifiziert und würden auch gerne mehr arbeiten – wenn die Rahmenbedingungen dafür besser wären. Angesichts dieses ungenutzten Potenzials ist es sowohl aus gleichstellungspolitischer als auch wirtschaftlicher Perspektive von höchster Relevanz, die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen zu erhöhen. Gerade in Zeiten eines beschleunigten Strukturwandels sowie zunehmenden Fachkräftemangels braucht es differenzierte Maßnahmen, um die Frauenerwerbstätigkeit zu stärken. Eine höhere Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen kann nicht nur helfen, Diskriminierung am Arbeitsmarkt zu mindern, sondern trägt auch zur Fachkräftesicherung und zu wirtschaftlichem Wohlstand bei. Gleichzeitig können sich Frauen beruflich freier und umfassender entwickeln, sind finanziell unabhängiger und beugen mit einem existenzsichernden Erwerbseinkommen der Armut im Alter vor." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hildenbrand, Kristin, Pascale Daher, Anna Topakas & Xiaoyu Gan (2024): Multidimensional work-nonwork balance: are balanced employees productive at work and satisfied with life? In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 35, H. 6, S. 1048-1087. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2023.2258335

Abstract

"Given ever increasing work and nonwork demands, achieving work-nonwork (WNW) balance is an important priority for many employees. Scholars have only recently settled on a definition of WNW balance as multidimensional and, as such, our understanding of its antecedents and outcomes is limited. Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory, we explore how organizations can support employees to achieve WNW balance and whether ‘balanced’ employees are more productive at work and satisfied with life. In detail, we hypothesize that the positive effect of supervisor WNW support (FSS) on employees’ life satisfaction and job performance is mediated by multidimensional WNW balance. We find, across two studies with two waves each, that only the dimension of WNW balance effectiveness and not the dimension of WNW balance satisfaction mediated the relationships between FSS, life satisfaction (Study 1 and 2) and self-rated job performance (Study 1). The relationship between FSS and supervisor-rated job performance (Study 2) was not mediated by either WNW balance dimension. As such, organizations can facilitate WNW balance through FSS, while ‘balanced’ employees seem indeed happier with their life and consider themselves to be better performing at work. We discuss the unexpected finding regarding the superior role of WNW balance effectiveness over WNW balance satisfaction for our outcomes in relation to the conceptualization of WNW balance as multidimensional and delineate important theoretical and practical implications." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hünteler, Bettina, Andrea Cass & Martin Wetzel (2024): Flexible Work Policies and the Division of Housework and Childcare in German Cohabiting Couples. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, Jg. 76, H. 4, S. 897-932. DOI:10.1007/s11577-024-00984-w

Abstract

"Flexible Arbeitsarrangements erfahren zunehmend Verbreitung und scheinen insbesondere für Paare eine bessere Vereinbarkeit von bezahlter Arbeit und Hausarbeit sowie Kinderbetreuung zu ermöglichen. Während unbezahlte Haus- und Sorgearbeit derzeit überwiegend als weiblich konnotiert gilt, könnte eine Zunahme flexibler Arbeitsarrangements zu einer geschlechtergerechteren Verteilung unbezahlter Arbeit beitragen. Empirische Belege für diese Annahme sind jedoch uneinheitlich und der Einfluss von Gender wurde noch nicht ausreichend geprüft. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden Hypothesen basierend auf ökonomischen, gender- und zeitverfügbarkeitstheoretischen Ansätzen abgeleitet, die mithilfe einer Stichprobe von n = 3244 Individuen in heterosexuellen Partnerschaften basierend auf der pairfam-Erhebung von 2018/19 und Regressionsanalysen getestet wurden. Der Zusammenhang zwischen der Aufteilung unbezahlter Arbeit und Arbeitsflexibilität wurde in Bezug auf Homeoffice, zeitliche Flexibilität und Arbeitszeitautonomie separat betrachtet. Entgegen den Hypothesen zeigte keine der Maßnahmen einen positiven Zusammenhang mit dem Anteil an Hausarbeit. Vielmehr wurde jede signifikante Assoziation vollständig durch Gender erklärt: Frauen übernahmen einen größeren Anteil an Hausarbeit, unabhängig von ihrer Arbeitsflexibilität. Lediglich der Anteil der Kinderbetreuung unterschied sich mit der Nutzung zeitlicher Flexibilität, allerdings geschlechtsspezifisch: Während Mütter mit mehr zeitlicher Flexibilität mehr Kinderbetreuung übernahmen, übernahmen Väter mit mehr Flexibilität weniger Kinderbetreuung. Flexible Arbeitsarrangements scheinen nicht per se zu einer geschlechtergerechteren Aufteilung unbezahlter Arbeit beizutragen; vielmehr könnten sich die Motive zur Nutzung von Arbeitsflexibilität nach Gender unterscheiden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Inoue, Chihiro, Yusuke Ishihata & Shintaro Yamaguchi (2024): Working from home leads to more family-oriented men. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 22, H. 2, S. 783-829. DOI:10.1007/s11150-023-09682-6

Abstract

"We examine how working from home (WFH) affects men’s participation in childcare and housework and their attitudes toward family. Because WFH is an endogenous decision, we apply a first-difference instrumental variable estimator, taking the degree to which one can work from home, measured at the individual level, as the instrument. We find that WFH increases the time that men spend on household chores and with family, and the fraction of men who consider life more important than work. Although WFH decreases their commuting time, we find no evidence that it reduces working hours or self-perceived productivity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Kruyen, Peter M., Stéfanie André & Beatrice Van der Heijden (Hrsg.) (2024): Maintaining a Sustainable Work-Life Balance. An Interdisciplinary Path to a Better Future. (New Horizons in Management series), Boca Raton: Elgar, 260 S. DOI:10.4337/9781803922348

Abstract

"This thought-provoking book provides a detailed exploration of work–life balance, considering the perspectives of specific groups such as parents, academics, the self-employed, and migrants. Moreover, it sheds more light on the dynamics of self-care, childcare as well as informal care. Collaborative and interdisciplinary in its approach, featuring researchers ranging from quantitative to interpretative scholars, it highlights the importance of a sustainable work–life balance and the instruments needed to improve this. Focusing on both working arrangements and life events, this book assembles a diverse range of researchers to provide a holistic understanding of work–life balance, with chapters covering the organizational aspects of work-life balance and the effects of digitalization. The authors analyse the experiences of working parents and how work–life balance changes after retirement, and provide diagnostic instructions for employees and employers to re-organize the way they work across the life-span in order to maintain and enhance work–life balance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Elgar) ((en))

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Mikats, Jana (2024): Über die (Nicht‑) Akzeptanz in Anwesenheit des Kindes zu arbeiten. Wie Eltern das Kind und ihre elterlichen Verantwortlichkeiten konstruieren. In: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Jg. 49, H. 3, S. 439-459. DOI:10.1007/s11614-024-00574-2

Abstract

"The work-family literature suggests a contradictory relationship between working parenthood and (good) childhood, with disruptive or neglected children on the one side and absent or overburdened parents on the other. While the child occupies a complicated space in this relation, their position is rarely examined. Against this background, I explore the position of the child by turning to children’s copresence during parents’ performance of home-based paid work and ask how parents construct the child and their corresponding parental responsibilities. Following a practice-theoretical framework, I approach parents’ accounts as practices of representation in which the boundaries of what was perceived as (not) acceptable ways of doing family and work were sketched out. For this purpose, I analyzed 25 qualitative interviews with and about home-based working parents in the Austrian creative industries with positional maps. The parents had between one and three children in kindergarten or primary school. Parents’ constructions of the child were complex and ambiguous, as were the corresponding parental responsibilities. Meeting the child’s needs and not harming the child emerged as a common ground, yet the parents’ commitment to paid work was not questioned. Conversely, home-based work was seen as a way to meet both work and care demands. These findings suggest that home-based work may bridge ideas of good childhood and working parenthood. The paper contributes to an understanding of work and family that goes beyond simple dualism and offers new insights into parental home-based work, which remains relevant in the post-pandemic era." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Monroe, Julie, Steve Vincent & Ana Lopes (2024): 'It's One Rule for Them and One for Us': Occupational Classification, Gender and Worktime Domestic Labour. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 5, S. 1175-1196. DOI:10.1177/09500170241235864

Abstract

"In this article, we focus on gender and class to investigate worktime domestic labor. Methodologically, we extend a novel, comparative critical realist method in which occupation-based and gendered positions in productive and reproductive labor are foregrounded. By building theoretical connections between labor process conditions and collective rule-following practices, we illustrate how inequalities are inscribed organisationally. Our analysis provides a more critical contextualisation of technological affordances to develop the literature on how technology is implicated in the reproduction of social inequality. Moreover, our analysis identifies multi-level causal processes, which combine to explain the presence and actualisation of worktime domestic labour or its absence, which is due, principally, to fear of sanction. For realist researchers interested in diversity-based challenges, absences are important because they can point towards specific discriminatory mechanisms. Our investigation thus revealed a surprising level of class-related in-work inequality within the gendered dynamics of domestic work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ruf, Kevin, Alexandra Mellies, Anja-Kristin Abendroth, Dana Müller & Olga Moths (2024): Methodenbericht der Beschäftigtenbefragung. „Die Wahl zwischen Zeit oder Geld: neue Flexibilität für eine bessere Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Privatem?“. Bielefeld, 51 S. DOI:10.4119/unibi/2990331

Abstract

"Das von der Hans-Böckler-Stiftung geförderte Projekt „Die Wahl zwischen Zeit oder Geld: neue Flexibilität für eine bessere Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Privatem?“ untersucht die u.a. von den Gewerkschaften IGM, IGBCE, EVG und ver.di verhandelten tariflichen Wahloptionen, bei denen sich Beschäftigte jährlich zwischen mehr Zeit oder Geld entscheiden können. Diese sind auch unter den Stichworten Wahlmodell, individuelles Zukunftskonto, Entlastungszeit, Umwandlungsoption oder T-Zug bekannt und werden im Folgenden von uns unter dem Begriff Wahloption zusammengefasst. Während die Option ‚Zeit‘ je nach Tarifvertrag zusätzliche Urlaubstage oder eine verkürzte Wochenarbeitszeit beinhaltet, aber nicht Lebenszeitkonten und Sabbaticals, umschreibt die Option ‚Geld‘ eine Sonderzahlung oder monatliche Entgelterhöhung. Die Wahloption unterscheidet sich in ihrer Ausgestaltung jedoch zwischen den jeweiligen Tarifverträgen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Ruf, Kevin, Ann-Christin Bächmann, Anja Abendroth-Sohl & Alexandra Mellies (2024): Tarifliches Wahlrecht: Warum die Mehrheit der Beschäftigten lieber mehr Zeit hätte als mehr Geld. In: IAB-Forum H. 22.07.2024. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240722.01

Abstract

"Einige Tarifverträge sehen mittlerweile für bestimmte Beschäftigtengruppen eine Wahlmöglichkeit zwischen „mehr Zeit“ oder „mehr Geld“ vor. Eine Befragung von über 3.000 Beschäftigten aus über 150 betroffenen Betrieben zeigt, dass die meisten Beschäftigten unter diesen Umständen bereit sind, zugunsten von mehr Freizeit auf Lohnerhöhungen oder Sonderzahlungen zu verzichten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Tobler, Lina, Bernhard Christoph, Lukas Fervers & Marita Jacob (2024): When the Burden Lifts: The Effect of School and Day Care Reopenings on Parents' Life Satisfaction. In: Journal of happiness studies, Jg. 26, 2024-09-15. DOI:10.1007/s10902-024-00819-7

Abstract

"The availability of childcare services eases parents’ daily lives and research has shown that it positively affects well-being, especially for mothers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted established childcare arrangements, with school and day care closures adding to parental burdens. Despite extensive discourse on the influence of these closures on parental well-being, few studies have empirically analysed the effects of the increase in childcare responsibilities associated with the closures on the well-being of parents. We seek to address this gap by examining the impact of school and day care reopenings on parental well-being. We expect that parents’ life satisfaction will increase when schools and day care facilities are reopened —and that this effect is particularly strong for mothers. Leveraging the variation in the time of reopenings across Germany’s federal states, we employ a difference-in-differences and a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach to assess changes in well-being. The research design accounts for state-level differences and potential confounding factors related to the pandemic. By using data from the German IAB-HOPP study, which offers timely measures of life satisfaction, we aim to quantify the effects of reopenings on parental well-being. Results show only a small and marginally positive effect of reopenings on average life satisfaction among parents. However, this is due to a strong and significant effect of reopenings on mothers’ life satisfaction and no significanteffect for fathers. Our findings contribute to research on the division of unpaid labour and childcare and support the notion that public childcare provision is crucial, particularly for mothers’ life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vacchiano, Mattia, Guillaume Fernandez & Rita Schmutz (2024): What's going on with teleworking? A scoping review of its effects on well-being. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 19. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0305567

Abstract

"Studies of teleworking and well-being increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to provide an overview of this emerging body of knowledge. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a scoping review using Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science), Sociological Abstracts (PROQUEST), and SocINDEX with full text (EBSCOhost). Articles published in English up to December 2022 were included. The result was a total of 2695 potentially relevant studies. After a double-screening procedure, 132 studies were chosen for data extraction. A content analysis was carried out to provide a summary of the social mechanisms linking teleworking to indicators of well-being related to mental health and quality of life. A complex picture of variables emerges on the impact of teleworking through direct or indirect mechanisms and a number of interactions with worker’s characteristics. First, the features of the environment matter, as it affects well-being, for example, depending on a better digital infrastructure, access to daylight and sufficient space. Second, it is not only a question of “where” we telework, but also “how much”. The advantages of a hybrid mode seem to be emerging to avoid an excessive lack of in-person social interaction, while offering greater flexibility in organizing daily life and reducing commuting times. Third, beyond the modalities of teleworking per se , it is key to take into account how these interact with workers’ personalities, their choices and preferences, which are often dictated by the stage of life they are in, e.g., parenting and career stages. In sum, the literature suggests that a straight answer on the positive or negative effects of teleworking is neither useful nor necessary. Multiple answers are possible to unveil the specific working arrangements that makes workers’ lives better according to their different needs. It seems essential to continue research on teleworking away from the exceptional stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have greatly skewed the evidence on the detrimental effects of teleworking. Planning more complex research designs using longitudinal data and network analyses could improve understanding of how teleworking is changing careers, lifestyles and social relationships." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wielgoszewska, Bożena, Alex Bryson, Heather Joshi & David Wilkinson (2024): Do Women Pay for Working from Home? Exploring Gender Gaps in Pay and Wellbeing by Work Location in the UK Cohort Studies. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17405), Bonn, 21 S.

Abstract

"Working from home (wfh) has seen a rise in prevalence, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it is widely believed that wfh enables employees to better combine paid work with domestic duties, potentially enhancing work-life balance, emerging evidence suggests that it may also hinder career advancement and adversely affect mental health, with notable impacts on women. We employ longitudinal data from three British Cohort Studies, collected one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, to investigate the characteristics of those who report working from home and the relationship with gender disparities in hourly wages, mental health, and well-being. Using longitudinal data also allows us to control for cohort members' labour market situation prior to the pandemic, thereby helping to isolate the pandemic's effects. Our findings indicate that individuals who work from home typically receive higher wages compared to those who work from employers' premises, but the gender wage gap is most pronounced among those who work from home. Furthermore, consistent with the flexibility paradox, our analysis reveals that women who work from home - particularly those who work hybrid - experience the most detrimental mental health outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Žiedelis, Arūnas, Jurgita Lazauskaitė-Zabielskė & Ieva Urbanavičiūtė (2024): The gendered effect of an overwork climate and high personal standards for work–home conflict during the pandemic. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 45, H. 2, S. 470-488. DOI:10.1177/0143831X231167497

Abstract

"Although working from home and various other forms of flexible work are often presented as measures to strengthen work–life balance, research depicts a less optimistic picture. Previous research has shown that the impact of telework on work–home conflict is controversial, depending on various factors that are also frequently gender-specific. In this study, the authors evaluate and compare the effects of external expectations (i.e., an organizational overwork climate) and internal expectations (i.e., high personal standards) on changes in work–home conflict between working men and women during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania. Both types of expectations were associated with difficulties reconciling work and private life. Due to their interactions with stereotypical gender roles, organizational expectations encouraging overtime work had a more pronounced effect on male employees. Results suggest that an overwork climate within organizations is a problem not only for employees’ well-being but also poses a risk to gender equality in work and private life." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2024): 2024 report on gender equality in the EU. (... report on gender equality in the EU / European Commission, Justice and Consumers), Luxembourg, 75 S. DOI:10.2838/401813

Abstract

"(...) the 2024 report on gender equality in the EU takes stock of the main initiatives from March 2023 until February 2024 to advance gender equality in the Strategy ’s key areas , namely: - Being free from violence and stereotypes; - Thriving in a gender-equal economy; - Leading equally throughout society; - Gender mainstreaming and funding; and - Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment across the world. The report focuses on the keyactions and achievements of EU institutions in this area. It also provides encouraging examples of legislative and policy developments by Member States (indicated in the boxes), and work by EU-funded projects in the above areas." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Adams, Ayhan (2023): Coparenting and conflicts between work and family – between-within analysis of German mothers and fathers. (SocArXiv papers), 23 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/fgx7y

Abstract

"The presence of children exacerbates the compatibility of work and family. Working along similar lines in terms of parenting seems to be necessary to cope with these challenges, but only a few studies have focused on the relationship between coparenting and interrole conflicts. This study seeks to close this gap by investigating the interrelatedness between coparenting conflicts and work-to-family/family-to-work conflicts with a particular focus on gender differences. The quantitative analysis draws on longitudinal data from waves 6 to 10 of the German Family Panel (N = 858). Between-within regression models were conducted to investigate both inter- and intraindividual association of coparenting conflicts and work-to-family/family-to-work conflicts. The results revealed that the level of coparenting conflicts is significantly associated with the level of both work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. Furthermore, changes in coparenting conflicts are associated with changes in family-to-work conflicts. Unexpectedly, the interaction between the level of coparenting conflicts and gender shows that the associations with interrole conflicts are stronger for fathers than for mothers. Thus, the study provides insights into the interrelatedness between the parental coparenting relationship and the compatibility of work, gender-specific associations, and differences between interindividual and intraindividual associations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bratti, Massimiliano (2023): Fertility postponement and labor market outcomes. Postponed childbearing improves women's labor market outcomes but may reduce overall fertility. (IZA world of labor 117), Bonn, 11 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.117.v2

Abstract

"Die zeitliche Verlagerung der Mutterschaft kann sich für Frauen ökonomisch positiv auswirken, indem sie vor der Geburt ihr Humankapital vergrößern, ihre Erwerbsbeteiligung intensivieren und ihr Einkommen steigern können. Umgekehrt kann dies die Realisierung von (weiteren) Kinderwünschen verhindern. Empirisch lässt sich zeigen, dass eine Verschiebung der Mutterschaft Arbeitsmarktnähe und Lohnniveau deutlich erhöht, zugleich aber weniger Kinder zu haben wahrscheinlicher macht. Hier sollte die Familienpolitik ansetzen: durch öffentliche Kinderbetreuungsangebote, finanzielle Anreize für Firmen, die betriebliche Angebote schaffen, sowie durch Elternzeitprogramme, die die Kinderbetreuungsaufgaben gerechter auf Väter und Mütter verteilen. Facebook Twitter" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Chanfreau, Jenny (2023): The Persistence in Gendering: Work-Family Policy in Britain since Beveridge. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 52, S. 981-998. DOI:10.1017/S0047279422000125

Abstract

"Understanding the historical policy pathways that have led to the constellation of policies that both reflect and shape the current gender order can reveal reasons for the persistence of gender inequality in paid work and unpaid family care. Bringing together existing research and policy critique with Carol Bacchi’s framework of policy as ‘gendering practices’, this paper focuses on the role of policy as a process that constructs and upholds an unequal gender order. The discussion traces how UK social policies have since the establishment of the post-war welfare state articulated and positioned gendered possibilities for combining paid work and childrearing, shaping gendered and classed work-family life courses. The analysis illustrates that British social policy has not been consistently committed to a more equal gender regime but instead maintained a heteronormative family ideal and thus, despite various policy changes, the gendering of ‘the worker’ and ‘the parent’ as conceptualised in UK policy has persisted over the last several decades." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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De La Porte, Caroline, Zhen Im, Brigitte Pircher, Nuria Ramos Martin & Dorota Szelewa (2023): An examination of 'instrumental resources' in earmarked parental leave: The case of the work–life balance directive. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 5, S. 525-539. DOI:10.1177/09589287231207557

Abstract

"This article examines factors that could contribute to explaining variation in take-up of leave among fathers in the light of the EU’s Work–Life Balance Directive (WLBD). The WLBD seeks to equalize care responsibilities between fathers and mothers, especially through reserved leave, with high compensation. The article begins with a cross-country overview of take-up of leave among eligible fathers, considering earmarking and the degree of compensation. Our results show variation, which cannot fully be explained by policy design (presence of high compensation with reserved leave for fathers). The article then theorizes that instrumental resources – information and accessible administrative application procedures – could be a missing link to understand the actual shift from de jure to de facto social rights. The article then carries out embedded case studies on these two aspects of instrumental resources, using original qualitative data collected during the implementation of the WLBD. The most striking finding is that countries with similar formal implementation of earmarked paid parental leave, display significant differences in commitment to instrumental resources. Put differently, the WLBD is being implemented differently, not regarding formal social rights, but on instrumental resources. This finding is important because it means that EU-initiated legislation on parental leave, could lead to differences in outcomes, that is, take-up of leave among fathers. The implication of our findings is that decision-makers and policy actors at EU level and in member states, should focus more on instrumental resources in the implementation process. This is particularly important for enhancing the de facto legitimacy of the EU in social policy, given that EU social regulation is increasing via the European Pillar of Social Rights." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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English, Claire & Gareth Brown (2023): My mum is on strike! Social reproduction and the (emotional) labor of 'mothering work' in neoliberal Britain. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 30, H. 6, S. 1941-1959. DOI:10.1111/gwao.13027

Abstract

"This article will explore the ways mothers and carers use the term ‘emotional labor’ to describe the exhaustion and burnout associated with socially reproductive tasks, rather than the performance of affective labor in the workplace. Scholars of social reproduction theory claim that emotion is key to understanding the specificities of gendered alienation, yet it remains under‐theorised. This article seeks to understand how the emotional lives of carers have been transformed by neoliberal processes that have intensified labor both within and beyond the home. Drawing on interviews with participants from the 2019 ‘My Mum is on Strike’ stay and play event, alongside ethnographic insights from online mothering blogs, sometimes referred to as the ‘mamasphere’ (Wilson et al., 2017), this article seeks to contextualizethe experiences of carers who narrate their reproductive labor as emotional ‘work’. Given the conditions of neoliberal rationality and the marketization of society, where every ‘field of activity… and entity (whether public or private, whether person, business, or state) is understood as a market and governed as a firm’ (Brown, 2015), emotional labor and the associated gendered expectations may begin to ‘feel like’ work, and we argue that this is felt in a specific way by those carrying out mothering labor, warranting further academic investigation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Fırat, Mustafa, Mark Visserm & Gerbert Kraaykamp (2023): Work-Family Trajectories Across Europe. Differences Between Social Groups and Welfare Regimes. (SocArXiv papers), 40 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/nghtq

Abstract

"Work and family trajectories develop and interact over the life course in complex ways. However, previous studies drew a fragmented picture of these trajectories and had limited scope. Here, we provide the most comprehensive study of work-family trajectories to date. Using retrospective data from wave 3 and 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we reconstructed work-family trajectories from age 15 to 49 among almost 80,000 individuals born between 1908 and 1967 across 28 countries. We applied multichannel sequence and cluster analysis to identify work-family trajectories and multinomial logistic regression models to uncover their social composition. Our results revealed six common trajectories. The dominant trajectory represents the standard path of continuous full-time employment and having a partner with children. Women, the lower educated and persons from conservative welfare regimes are underrepresented in this trajectory, whereas men, higher educated people and those from social-democratic and Eastern European welfare regimes are overrepresented. Other trajectories denote a deviation from the standard path, integrating a non-standard form of work with standard family formation or vice versa. Women who have a partner and children generally work part-time or do not work at all. When in full-time employment, women are more likely to be divorced. Lower educated persons are less likely to be full-time workers with non-standard families, yet more likely to be non-employed with standard family formation. Younger cohorts are underrepresented in non-employment but overrepresented in part-time employment with a partner and children. Individuals from Southern European regimes are more likely to be non-working partnered parents and those from social-democratic regimes are more likely to be full-time employed separated parents. We also found pronounced gender differences in how educational level, birth cohort and welfare regime areassociated withwork-family trajectories. Our findings largely highlight the socially stratified nature of work-family trajectories in Europe. We conclude by discussing the potential implications for later-life inequalities,and make our code producing the trajectory data publicly available to facilitate future research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Haapanen, Mika, Jaakko Pehkonen & Ville Seppälä (2023): Couples' joint retirement by household type: Evidence from Finland. In: Labour, Jg. 37, H. 3, S. 409-436. DOI:10.1111/labr.12253

Abstract

"This study examines joint retirement in Finland. Employing a regression discontinuity design, the study leverages the exogenous variation provided by the eligibility age for earnings-related pensions. The analysis yields three key findings. First, reaching the eligibility age has a significant effect on an individual's retirement. Second, male spouses' retirement at the age of 63 has a spillover effect on their female spouses. Third, disaggregated analyses show that older spouses in low-income households delay their retirement, older male (female) spouses with female (male) primary earners postpone their retirement, and younger female spouses with male primary earners expedite their retirement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Kallenberg, Christine (2023): Erwerbstätigkeit von Frauen in Deutschland. Aktuelle arbeitsmedizinische Beobachtungen aus Praxis, Medien und Wissenschaft. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin, Jg. 58, H. 5, S. 298-305. DOI:10.17147/asu-1-273028

Abstract

"In der arbeitsmedizinischen Praxis fällt unter dem Aspekt der Lebensverlaufsperspektive von Frauen die enge Verwobenheit von Erwerbs- und Sorgearbeit auf. Rollenstereotype bei der Berufswahl, horizontale und vertikale Segregatin, Gender-Pay-Gap und Androzentrismus im Berufskrankheitenrecht zeigen zukünftige Erwartungen und Aufgaben für die Arbeitsmedizin mit dem Fokus Frauengesundheit und soziale Gerechtigkeit an." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Karjalainen, Mira (2023): Gender and the blurring boundaries of work in the era of telework—A longitudinal study. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 17, H. 1, S. e13029. DOI:10.1111/soc4.13029

Abstract

"This longitudinal study analyses gender and the blurring boundaries of work during prolonged telework, utilising data gathered during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused a major change in the knowledge work sector, which has characteristically been more prone to work leaking into other parts of life. The study examines the blurring boundaries of telework: between time and place, care and housework, and emotional, social, spiritual and aesthetic labour. The experiences of different genders regarding the blurring boundaries of work during long-term telework are scrutinised using a mixed methods approach, analysing two surveys (Autumn 2020: N = 87, and Autumn 2021: N = 94) conducted longitudinally in a consulting company operating in Finland. There were several gendered differences in the reported forms of labour, which contribute to the blurring boundaries of work. Some boundary blurring remained the same during the study, while some fluctuated. The study also showed how the gendered practices around the blurring boundaries of work transformed during prolonged telework. Blurring boundaries of work and attempts to establish boundaries became partially gendered, as gender and life situation were reflected in knowledge workers' experiences of teleworking." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Krause, Florian & Günther Vedder (Hrsg.) (2023): Arbeit und Gender. (Schriftenreihe zur interdisziplinären Arbeitswissenschaft 15), Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 189 S.

Abstract

"Das Zusammenspiel von Arbeit und Gender ist innerhalb der Arbeitswissenschaft seit vielen Jahren von besonderem Interesse. Permanent kommen an der Schnittstelle aktuelle Themen hinzu, die bisher noch wenig beforscht wurden. In diesem Sammelband geht es um Fragestellungen aus folgenden Bereichen: (1) Menstruationsbedingte Arbeitsunfähigkeit – eine Diskursanalyse; (2) Frauen im organisationalen Führungsfeld unter Covid 19; (3) Die Vereinbarkeit von Familie, Beruf und Ehrenamt; (4) Sind Frauen im vorzeitigen Ruhestand glücklicher?; (5) Gewichtsdiskriminierung im Privat- und Berufsleben. Alle Beiträge sind am Institut für interdisziplinäre Arbeitswissenschaft der Leibniz Universität Hannover entstanden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Nomos)

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Mallat, Anja (2023): Bessere Vereinbarkeit im Homeoffice? Erfahrungen und Grenzgestaltungen von Eltern. (IAQ-Report 2023-08), Duisburg ; Essen, 20 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/79083

Abstract

"Homeoffice kann für Eltern zu mehr Flexibilität und Freiheit in ihrer Alltagsgestaltung, jedoch auch zu einer zunehmenden Entgrenzung der Lebensbereiche Beruf und Familie führen. Insbesondere erwerbsbezogene erweiterte Erreichbarkeiten werden in der Forschung als negative Konsequenz von Homeoffice bewertet. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, dass es aufseiten der Beschäftigten sehr verschiedene Sichtweisen auf das Arbeiten außerhalb regulärer Arbeitszeiten und folglich auch unterschiedliche Regulierungsbedarfe für eine gelingende Vereinbarkeit gibt. Deswegen gilt es, in der betrieblichen Praxis nicht einzig auf kollektive Regelungen zu erwerbsbezogenen Erreichbarkeiten zu fokussieren, sondern auch die Vereinbarkeitsideale der Beschäftigten zu berücksichtigen. Dies setzt zum einen voraus, Führungskräfte für Vereinbarkeitsfragen zu sensibilisieren. Zum anderen müssen die Beschäftigten familiäre und berufliche Leitbilder und Vereinbarkeitsideale reflektieren und befähigt werden, aktive Grenzsetzungsstrategien zu erlernen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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

Abstract

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

Zitatform

Stoller, Sarah E. (2023): Inventing the Working Parent. Work, Gender and Feminism in Neoliberal Britain. Cambridge: MIT Press, 285 S. DOI:10.7551/mitpress/14918.001.0001

Abstract

"The first historical examination of working parenthood in the late twentieth century - and how the concepts of “family-friendly” work culture and “work–life balance” came to be. Since the 1980s, families across the developed West have lived through a revolution on a scale unprecedented since industrialization. With more mothers than ever before in paid work and the rise of the middle-class, dual-income household, we have entered a new era in the history of everyday life: the era of the working parent. In Inventing the Working Parent, Sarah E. Stoller charts the politics that shaped the creation of the phenomenon of working parenthood in Britain as it arose out of a new culture of work. Stoller begins with the first sustained efforts by feminists to mobilize politically on behalf of working parents in the late 1970s and concludes in the context of an emerging national political agenda for working families with the rise of New Labour in the 1990s. She explores how and why the notion of working parenthood emerged as a powerful new political claim and identity category and addresses how feminists used the concept of working parenthood to advocate for new organizational policies and practices. Lastly, Stoller shows how neoliberal capitalism under Margaret Thatcher and subsequent New Labour governments made a family's ability to survive on one income nearly impossible - with significant consequences for individual experience, the gendered division of labor, and intimate life." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © MIT Press) ((en))

Zitatform

Abendroth, Anja-Kristin (2022): Transitions to parenthood, flexible working and time-based work-to-family conflicts: A gendered life course and organisational change perspective. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1033-1055. DOI:10.20377/jfr-730

Abstract

"Objective: This study investigates how flexitime and flexiplace moderate the consequences of transitions to parenthood for time-based work-to-family conflicts for women and men, and whether the normalisation of their use in organisations additionally contributes to reducing work-to-family conflicts. Background: Although flexible working has been described as a resource for better aligning demands in the domains of work and family, the findings of previous - mainly cross-sectional – research on its consequences for work–family conflict are inconsistent. Method: Individual fixed effects analyses were conducted using linked employer-employee panel data for 1,973 partnered men and 1575 partnered women in 132 large work organisations in Germany. Results: Time-based work-to-family conflicts after transition to parenthood increased for men but decreased for women. This can be explained by women reducing their working hours. However, work-to-family conflicts remained rather stable despite of the transition to parenthood among women who used flexitime. This can partly be explained by their weaker work-to-family conflicts already before the transition as well as to adjustments in work investments being less common among them. There is some evidence that the normalisation of flexitime and flexiplace in the organisation is associated with fewer work-to-family conflicts among women and men. Conclusion: Flexitime seems to be not an additional but an alternative resource to decrease the likelihood of more frequent time-based work-to-family conflicts after transition to parenthood among women. The normalization of flexible working depicts organizational change towards more family-friendliness." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Adams, Ayhan & Katrin Golsch (2022): Employed parents' reactions to work-family conflicts: Adaptive strategies of scaling back in Germany. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1101-1125. DOI:10.20377/jfr-712

Abstract

"Objective: This study investigates the extent to which employed mothers and fathers scale back on working hours or job pressures in response to work-to-family conflicts (WFC). Background: Drawing on the concept of adaptive family strategies, it is assumed that WFC is an antecedent to a reduction in work demands. Considering partners’ gender ideology net of other resources and characteristics, we can expect to see gender differences in the adoption of this strategy. Relatively little research has been conducted on associations among WFC, gender ideology, gender, and work-related coping strategies. Method: We use six waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam, release 11.0), covering the survey years 2012-2019, to examine the effect of WFC and gender ideology on employed mothers’ and fathers’ work-related coping strategies (N=791 mothers and N=1292 fathers). OLS regression is used to estimate the effect of WFC at and gender ideology on changes in job pressure and working hours between and. Results: Parents who experience WFC are more likely to reduce their job pressure and less likely to scale back on working hours. Gender differences in the reaction between mothers and fathers on WFC only occur in connection with traditional gender ideology. Conclusion: Scaling back seems not to be a commonly used strategy to react to WFC." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bernhardt, Janine & Claudia Recksiedler (2022): Work-to-family conflict and parenting practices: Examining the role of working from home among lone and partnered working mothers. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1072-1100. DOI:10.20377/jfr-709

Abstract

"Objective: This study investigates associations between work-to-family conflict and parenting practices among lone and partnered working mothers and the role of working from home as a potential resource gain or drain for acting empathetically and supportively towards their children. Background: Emerging evidence suggests that work-to-family conflict reduces responsive parenting practices, yet prior studies have rarely examined disparities by family structure. Although working from home has recently gained in importance in the workforce, there is still little research on its implications for the relationship between work-to-family conflict and the quality of parenting practices. If working from home is not used to do supplemental work during overtime hours, it may free up mothers’ time and emotional resources. In turn, this may either buffer the harmful impact of work-to-family conflict on parenting practices or indirectly enhance the quality of parenting practices by reducing work-to-family conflict. This could be particularly beneficial for lone mothers, who experience more role and time strain. Method: Analyses were based on 1,723 working mothers and their reports on 2,820 schoolchildren drawn from a German probability sample that was collected in 2019 (i.e., before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic). Using OLS regression models, we first examined whether work-to-family conflict was associated with four dimensions of verbal parenting practices (i.e., responsive and hostile communication, responsive decision-making, and school involvement at home). Second, we conducted moderation analyses to test differences by working from home (within contract hours and for supplemental work) and family structure with two-way and three-way interactions. Third, we performed mediation analyses to examine the indirect effect of working from home on each parenting dimension mediated by work-to-family conflict. Results: Higher levels of work-to-family conflict were associated with less responsive and more hostile parenting practices. The moderation analyses did not indicate a buffering effect of working from home. Instead, the mediation analyses showed that compared to mothers who worked from home within their contract hours, those who did not work from home or who did supplemental work from home tended to report less empathic parenting practices transmitted through higher levels of work-to-family conflict. Results showed no significant associations for mothers’ school involvement at home. Furthermore, no major differences emerged between lone and partnered mothers. Conclusion: Our pre-pandemic results challenge the buffering hypothesis and suggest that working from home can be either a resource gain or drain for the mother-child relationship regardless of family structure, but depending on mothers’ opportunity to work from home within the scope of contract hours." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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Dean, Liz, Brendan Churchill & Leah Ruppanner (2022): The mental load: building a deeper theoretical understanding of how cognitive and emotional labor overload women and mothers. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 25, H. 1, S. 13-29. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2021.2002813

Abstract

"The mental load has received considerable public attention especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we synthesize existing literature to argue that the mental load is a combination of cognitive and emotional labor and it is this combination that makes the mental work a load. We argue that the way the mental load operates within families and society has three characteristics: (1) it is invisible in that it is enacted internally yet results in a range of unpaid, physical labor; (2) it is boundaryless in that can be brought to work and into leisure and sleep time; and (3) enduring in that it is never complete because it is tied to caring for loved ones which is constant. We also offer some future directions for addressing the problems associated with the mental load. First, questions measuring the mental load should be standard in health and social surveys to better understand the problem. Second, employers should adopt better policies that allow for greater work-life reconciliation to lessen the mental load. Third, caregiving should be vital infrastructure developed and invested in by governments to reduce competing work and care demands that accelerate the deleterious consequences of the mental load." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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Kan, Man-Yee, Muzhi Zhou, Kamila Kolpashnikova, Ekaterina Hertog, Shohei Yoda & Jiweon Jun (2022): Revisiting the Gender Revolution: Time on Paid Work, Domestic Work, and Total Work in East Asian and Western Societies 1985–2016. In: Gender & Society, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 368-396. DOI:10.1177/08912432221079664

Abstract

"We analyze time use data of four East Asian societies and 12 Western countries between 1985 and 2016 to investigate the gender revolution in paid work, domestic work, and total work. The closing of gender gaps in paid work, domestic work, and total work time has stalled in the most recent decade in several countries. The magnitude of the gender gaps, cultural contexts, and welfare policies plays a key role in determining whether the gender revolution in the division of labor will stall or continue. Women undertake more total work than men across all societies: The gender gap ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. Our findings suggest that cultural norms interact with institutional contexts to affect the patterns of gender convergence in time use, and gender equality might settle at differing levels of egalitarianism across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Korsgren, Pontus & Max van Lent (2022): Earmarked Paternity Leave and Well-Being. (IZA discussion paper 15022), Bonn, 24 S.

Abstract

"Earmarked paternity leave has been introduced in an attempt to increase fathers' involvement in child rearing and to achieve gender equality in the labor market and at home. So far well-being effects of such policies are unexplored. This paper takes a first step in that direction by studying the impact of earmarked paternity leave quota on life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and work-life balance using several policy changes in Europe over the period 1993-2007. We find that earmarked paternity leave increases life satisfaction by 0.18 on a 10 point scale which is equivalent to a 10.8 percentage point increase even decades later. Both fathers and mothers benefit, though the increase in life satisfaction for mothers is nearly 30% higher than that of fathers. Perhaps surprisingly, the impact on job satisfaction and work-life balance is close to zero. Hence even when the impact of paternity leave quota on the labor market are small, the increases in life satisfaction may still justify the existence of such policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Langner, Laura (2022): Desperate Housewives and Happy Working Mothers: Are Parent-Couples with Equal Income More Satisfied throughout Parenthood? A Dyadic Longitudinal Study. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 36, H. 1, S. 80-100. DOI:10.1177/0950017020971548

Abstract

"Are parent-couples with equal income more satisfied as their children grow up, than those who prioritize the father’s career (specialize)? For the first time, 384 German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study couples were categorized into life-course coupled earnings types, by tracing how earnings were divided within couples between the ages of 1 to 15 of their youngest child. Multivariate, multilevel analysis showed that, unlike mothers pursuing an (eventually) equal earnings division, mothers in an (eventually) specialized arrangement experienced a strong decline in life satisfaction. Hence, particularly high-status mothers (having invested heavily into their career) were eventually up to two life satisfaction points less satisfied if they prioritized their partner’s earnings, than those who shared earnings equally with their partner. Paternal life satisfaction was not significantly different between patterns of earnings (in)equality. For most couples, earnings equality led to a win-win situation: mothers’ life satisfaction was higher than for specialized mothers without negatively affecting paternal satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Latshaw, Beth A. & Deniz Yucel (2022): Work-family conflict and partners' agreement on fertility preferences among dual-earner couples: Does women's employment status matter? In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1151-1174. DOI:10.20377/jfr-689

Abstract

"Objective: This study tests the effects of work-family conflict, in both directions, on partners' agreement on fertility preferences among dual-earner couples, as well as whether this relationship varies by women's employment status. Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between work-family conflict and fertility preferences. Given the high percentages of women working part-time in Germany, it is important to investigate the role working women’s employment status plays to further understand this relationship. Method: Using data from 716 dual-earner couples in Wave 10 of the German Family Panel (pairfam), we use dyadic data analysis to test whether work-family conflict impacts one’s own ("actor effects") and/or one’s partner’s ("partner effects") reports of agreement on fertility preferences. We also run multi-group analyses to compare whether these effects vary in "full-time dual-earner" versus "modernized male breadwinner" couples. Results: There are significant actor effects for family-to-work conflict in both types of couples, and for work-to-family conflict in modernized male breadwinner couples only. Partner effects for family-to-work conflict exist only among modernized male breadwinner couples. While there are no gender differences in actor or partner effects, results suggest differences in the partner effect (for family-to-work conflict only) between these two couple types. Conclusion: These findings indicate that work-family conflict is associated with greater partner disagreement on fertility preferences and highlight the differential impact incompatible work and family responsibilities have on fertility decisions when women work full-time versus part-time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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Reimann, Mareike & Martin Diewald (2022): Good mental health despite work-family conflict? The within-domain and cross-domain buffering potentials of family and work resources. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1126-1150. DOI:10.20377/jfr-726

Abstract

"Objective: This article investigates whether within-domain and cross-domain buffering by family and work resources can help mitigate the negative mental health effects of work-to-family conflicts (WFC) and family-to-work conflicts (FWC). Background: Most literature on the work–life interface stresses the need to maintain employees’ health and well-being by preventing the emergence of work–family conflicts. Since such conflicts tend to be an unavoidable concomitant of role expansion, we aim to put forward the debate on the conditions that might prevent their negative health consequences instead. Method: Fixed-effects linear regression analyses were applied to a sample of 4,920 employees in a three-wave employer–employee panel study in Germany. Using interaction analyses, we tested within-domain and cross-domain buffering of family (social support and relative bargaining power within partnerships) and work (job resources, support from direct supervisors or co-workers, formal and informal organizational support) resources in the relationship between strain-based and time-based WFC and FWC and mental health (SF-12). Results: Family resources and work resources somewhat mitigated the health risks of WFC and FWC. Overall, within-domain resources were more effective than cross-domain ones. Conclusion: It is important to consider resources in both the family and the work domains to determine the most effective ways of preventing the negative mental health consequences of work–family conflicts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schulz, Florian & Mareike Reimann (2022): Parents' experiences of work-family conflict. Does is matter if coworkers have children? In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 1056-1071. DOI:10.20377/jfr-780

Abstract

"Objective: To examine how the perception of work-family conflict relates to the share of parents in women's and men's direct coworking environments. Background: The idea of relational demography posits that individuals' relative positions within their coworking environments have an impact on their wellbeing. Depending on women's and men's parenthood status and the corresponding (dis-)similarity compared to their colleagues, this idea was applied to the perception of work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. Method: Time-based and strain-based work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts were analyzed by gender and parenthood with random effects panel regression models using longitudinal data from the LEEP-B3-survey, a large-scale linked employer-employee survey from Germany (2012/2013 and 2014/2015; 2,228 women and 2,656 men). The composition of the respondents’ working groups was included as a moderating variable. Results: Mothers and fathers of children aged 0-11 years reported higher work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts than parents of older children and childless women and men. For mothers of children aged 0-11 years, a higher share of parents in their working groups was associated with less time-based family-to-work conflict. For fathers of children aged 0-11 years, the same associations were found for overall work-to-family conflict, strain-based work-to-family conflict as well as for all dimensions of family-to-work conflict. Conclusion: Similarity between the team members regarding parenthood seemed to reduce mothers' and fathers' perceptions of work-family conflict beyond several other characteristics of the individuals and the workplaces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zoch, Gundula, Ann-Christin Bächmann & Basha Vicari (2022): Reduced well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic - The role of working conditions. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 29, H. 6, S. 1969-1990., 2021-11-03. DOI:10.1111/gwao.12777

Abstract

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had diverse impacts on the employment conditions and family responsibilities of men and women. Thus, women and men were exposed to very different roles and associated challenges, which may have affected their well-being very differently. Using data from the National Educational Panel Study and its supplementary COVID-19 web survey for Germany (May–June 2020), we investigate gender differences in the relationship between working conditions and within-changes in subjective well-being. We systematically consider the household context by distinguishing between adults with and without younger children in the household. The results from multivariate change-score regressions reveal a decline in all respondents' life satisfaction, particularly among women with and without younger children. However, the greater reduction in women's well-being cannot be linked to systematic differences in working conditions throughout the pandemic. Kitagawa–Oaxaca–Blinder counterfactual decompositions confirm this conclusion. Further analyses suggest that women's caregiving role, societal concerns, and greater loneliness partly explain the remaining gender differences in altered satisfaction. From a general perspective, our results suggest important gender differences in social life and psychological distress at the beginning of the pandemic, which are likely to become more pronounced as the crisis has unfolded." (Author's abstract, © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) ((en))

Abstract

"Unpaid care duties are key to gender gaps in the labor market. As illustrated in the report, across the Member States, care responsibilities are equally shared between women and men only in about one-third of families. The interplay between labour market and household conditions may create vicious cycles. The unequal division of unpaid care work between men and women reduces women’s access to and permanency in the labor market, and leads to a concentration of women in sectors and jobs allowing greater working time flexibility at the price of lower wages and career opportunities. Gender gaps in the labor market themselves reinforce the unequal division of unpaid care work in households. Work-life balance policies are therefore key for supporting women’s labor market participation and employment and achieving gender equality in the labour market. Although cultural and social norms on the gender division of unpaid work in the household are still relevant, the availability, affordability and quality of childcare and long-term care services, eligibility criteria, length and compensation level of parental, paternity and carers leaves, and flexible working arrangements all play an important role in promoting equal sharing of care tasks in the household enabling full and equal labor market participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aarntzen, Lianne, Tanja van der Lippe, Elianne van Steenbergen & Belle Derks (2021): How individual gender role beliefs, organizational gender norms, and national gender norms predict parents' work-Family guilt in Europe. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 24, H. 2, S. 120-142. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2020.1816901

Abstract

"The guilt that mothers feel about the time and energy that they invest in work instead of their family is often proposed to be an important reason for why mothers ‘opt-out’ the career track. We sought to understand if mothers indeed experience more work-family guilt than fathers and how this relates to both their own gender role beliefs and organizational gender norms across nine European countries. Analyses draw on the European Social Workforce Survey, with data from 2619 working parents nested in 110 organizations in 9 European countries. Results showed that when fathers and mothers work more than a full-time week (a) fathers with traditional gender role beliefs felt less guilty, and (b) especially mothers working in an organization with low support for the parent role of working fathers felt guilty. Explorative analyses showed no effect of national gender norms on gender differences in guilt. Our results are beneficial for organizations and policy makers by showing that guilt in working mothers can be reduced by developing egalitarian organizational norms, in which there is support for the parent role of mothers and fathers, potentially helping mothers to focus on their careers alongside their families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Achdut, Netta & Haya Stier (2021): The Role of Monetary and Non-Monetary Job Quality Components in Determining Welfare Exit. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 50, H. 1, S. 79-103. DOI:10.1017/S0047279419000977

Abstract

"Contemporary welfare policies in many Western countries limit means tested public assistance for the long-term unemployed and spur rapid movement into the labor market. Studies on welfare use determinants that traced these policy changes focused on individuals’ characteristics, economic condition, and various policy components. Little attention was paid to welfare recipients’ job quality or its role in determining welfare exit. The present study examined the contribution of various job quality aspects, beyond wages, to welfare exit among welfare recipients in Israel. We considered the use of workers’ own skills and occupation, existence of standard employment contract (versus temporary), irregular work schedule, and application of mandatory and non-mandatory non-wage compensation attributes. The data derive from a national panel survey of 2,800 single-mother recipients of welfare in 2003. The results indicate the importance of these job components for welfare exit, above and beyond wages. Implications for policy are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Balleer, Almut, Monika Merz & Tamás K. Papp (2021): Couples' Time-Use and Aggregate Labor Market Outcomes. (IZA discussion paper 14468), Bonn, 61 S.

Abstract

"We present a model of the time-allocation decision of spouses in order to study the role of heterogeneity in preferences and wages for couples' labor supply. Spouses differ in their tastes for market consumption and non-market goods and activities, and also in their offered or earned wages. They interact in their choices of market hours, homework, and leisure. We estimate the model for married or cohabiting couples in the 2001/02 wave of the German Time-Use Survey using Bayesian techniques. We generate gender-specific own- and cross-wage elasticities of market hours in the cross-section. Elasticities are significantly larger if the wage shock is asymmetric across partners, not symmetric. Aggregating preferences and wages by gender and comparing outcomes for a representative couple with those from heterogenous couples yields a discrepancy between alternative aggregate wage-elasticities. Its size varies with the type of wage shock and the distribution of spouses across the preference-wage space." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bidenko, Katharina & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko (2021): Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Pflege: Wie wirkt sich Erwerbstätigkeit auf die Gesundheit pflegender Angehörigeraus? In: Das Gesundheitswesen, Jg. 83, H. 2, S. 122-127. DOI:10.1055/a-1173-8918

Abstract

"Ziel: Die Studie untersucht, inwieweit die Gesundheitsauswirkungen der informellen Pflege durch den kontextuellen Faktor Erwerbstätigkeitbeeinflusst werden. Methodik: Die Analyse basiert auf repräsentativen Bevölkerungsdaten aus den Jahren 2015 und 2016(n=19 791). Als Untersuchungsgruppe „pflegende Angehörige“ definiert werden Personen, die mindestens eine Stunde pro Woche eine pflegebedürftige Person informell unterstützen, betreuen oder versorgen. Durch Anwendung von Propensity Score Matching wird eine strukturangepasste Vergleichsgruppeidentifiziert. Anhand eines multivariaten Regressionsmodells werden Zusammenhänge in der Gruppe der pflegenden Angehörigen und der strukturangepassten Vergleichsgruppe analysiert. Für eine grafische Darstellung werden Untergruppen zum zeitlichen Einsatz im Hinblick auf Angehörigenpflege und Erwerbstätigkeit gebildet. Ergebnisse: Die psychische Gesundheit pflegender Angehöriger verschlechtert sich mit zunehmendem Aufwand für die Betreuung(B=-0,44; p=0,02). Die negativen gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen der Angehörigenbetreuung werden durch die Erwerbstätigkeit verringert (B=0,58; p<0,01),allerdings nur bis zum einem bestimmten zeitlichen Arbeitseinsatz. Bei einemhöheren zeitlichen Aufwand für beide Tätigkeiten nimmt der moderierende Effekt ab (bis zu 32% der Standardabweichung). Schlussfolgerungen: Der signifikante moderierende Effekt der Erwerbstätigkeit ist in der Wirkung maßgeblich durch die Gesamtbelastung aus den beiden Tätigkeitsbereichen geprägt. Die Ergebnisse vermitteln einen Eindruck von der potentiell stärkenden und schützenden Wirkung von Erwerbstätigkeit auf die gesundheitlich negativen Auswirkungen der Angehörigenbetreuung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Boneva, Teodora, Katja Maria Kaufmann & Christopher Rauh (2021): Maternal Labor Supply: Perceived Returns, Constraints, and Social Norms. (IZA discussion paper 14348), Bonn, 93 S.

Abstract

"We design a new survey to elicit quantifiable, interpersonally comparable beliefs about pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits and costs to maternal labor supply decisions, to study how beliefs vary across and within different groups in the population and to analyze how those beliefs relate to choices. In terms of pecuniary returns, mothers' (and fathers') later-life earnings are perceived to increase the more hours the mother works while her child is young. Similarly, respondents perceive higher non-pecuniary returns to children's cognitive and non-cognitive skills the more hours a mother works and the more time her child spends in childcare. Family outcomes on the other hand, such as the quality of the mother-child relationship and child satisfaction, are perceived to be the highest when the mother works part-time, which is also the option most respondents believe their friends and family would like them to choose. There is a large heterogeneity in the perceived availability of full-time childcare and relaxing constraints could substantially increase maternal labor supply. Importantly, it is perceptions about the non-pecuniary returns to maternal labor supply as well as beliefs about the opinions of friends and family that are found to be strong predictors of maternal labor supply decisions, while beliefs about labor market returns are not." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))