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Gender und Arbeitsmarkt

Das Themendossier "Gender und Arbeitsmarkt" bietet wissenschaftliche und politiknahe Veröffentlichungen zu den Themen Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen und Männern, Müttern und Vätern, Berufsrückkehrenden, Betreuung/Pflege und Arbeitsteilung in der Familie, Work-Life-Management, Determinanten der Erwerbsbeteiligung, geschlechtsspezifische Lohnunterschiede, familien- und steuerpolitische Regelungen sowie Arbeitsmarktpolitik für Frauen und Männer.
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Falling behind unequally: labour market outcomes of Italian couples after childbirth* (2026)

    Barbieri, Teresa ; Cirillo, Valeria ; Bavaro, Michele ;

    Zitatform

    Barbieri, Teresa, Michele Bavaro & Valeria Cirillo (2026): Falling behind unequally: labour market outcomes of Italian couples after childbirth*. In: Applied Economics, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2026.2624051

    Abstract

    "This study explores how childbirth differently shapes the career trajectories of men and women within the same couples, with a particular focus on gender disparities in experiencing downward labour transitions following the birth of their first child. Using a unique survey-administrative linked dataset, we track couples’ labour market trajectories to analyse transitions from employment to unemployment, full-time to part-time employment, and higher-paid to lower-paid jobs. Additionally, the dataset allows to link partners, enabling the study of factors influencing differences in the probabilities of downward labour market transitions between partners in the same household. Our findings reveal substantial and persistent penalties for women, lasting up to three years after childbirth, which are mainly related to part-time job arrangements. When examining differences in probabilities within couples, households in which women have tertiary education with respect to their partners and are the primary earners exhibit smaller gender disparities in the likelihood of downward labour transitions with respect to other households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Distribution of gender and labour force participation and filial support types in Europe and Israel (2026)

    Batur, Zeynep Zümer ; Vermunt, Jeroen K. ; Mortelmans, Dimitri ; Vergauwen, Jorik;

    Zitatform

    Batur, Zeynep Zümer, Jeroen K. Vermunt, Dimitri Mortelmans & Jorik Vergauwen (2026): Distribution of gender and labour force participation and filial support types in Europe and Israel. In: Ageing & Society, Jg. 46, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1017/s0144686x25100391

    Abstract

    "Informal care-giving studies have largely ignored how gender and labour force participation intersect to shape filial support across diverse national contexts over time. In particular, comparative longitudinal research that explores care-giving intensity in relation to adult children’s employment status and gender remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing a typology of filial support and examining how care-giving patterns vary by gender and labour force participation across different country clusters in Europe and Israel. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we apply latent Markov models and multi-level latent class analysis to identify seven distinct filial support states, ranging from no support to very intense support. We also classify 28 countries into three clusters based on levels of involvement in filial support: low, moderate and high. Our findings indicate significant disparities based on gender and employment status, with daughters tending to provide more intensive support than sons, even when employed. Unemployed sons in countries with moderate involvement in filial support were three times more likely to provide intensive care compared to their counterparts in countries characterized by low or higher involvement. These variations suggest that support to ageing parents is deeply shaped by gendered employment opportunities and cultural care-giving norms. This complexity underscores the necessity for nuanced policy approaches to support care-givers effectively, considering both gender inequalities and employment contexts. Recognizing these intricate patterns of informal care can inform targeted interventions, ultimately addressing the care-giving burden within ageing societies more effectively." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Geschlechtergerecht gestalten: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik (2026)

    Bothfeld, Silke ; Yollu-Tok, Aysel ; Schütt, Petra; Hohendanner, Christian ;

    Zitatform

    Bothfeld, Silke, Christian Hohendanner, Petra Schütt & Aysel Yollu-Tok (Hrsg.) (2026): Geschlechtergerecht gestalten. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik. Frankfurt: Campus Verlag, 471 S. DOI:10.12907/978-3-593-45932-5

    Abstract

    "Trotz zahlreicher Bemühungen und Erfolge in der Gleichstellungspolitik seit Ende der 1990er Jahre bestehen in der Praxis nach wie vor erhebliche geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. Frauen haben nach wie vor geringere Erfolgsaussichten beim Zugang und beim Verbleib in Beschäftigung, ihre Bezahlung und ihre Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten sind schlechter. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes bieten einen umfassenden Überblick über die aktuelle geschlechtsbezogene Arbeits(marktpolitik-)forschung. Mit einem multiperspektivischen Blick auf den vergeschlechtlichten Arbeitsmarkt gelingt es dem Band, historische Aspekte, Gegenwartsanalysen sowie gesellschaftliche Transformationsprozesse und Lösungsansätze zu verbinden." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

    Beteiligte aus dem IAB

    Hohendanner, Christian ;
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Einleitung: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer geschlechtergerechten Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik (2026)

    Bothfeld, Silke ; Hohendanner, Christian ; Schütt, Petra; Yollu-Tok, Aysel ;

    Zitatform

    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)

    Beteiligte aus dem IAB

    Hohendanner, Christian ;
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Fathers Combining Work and Care: Flexible Work Arrangements and Paternal Involvement Across Financial Situations (2026)

    Brega, Carla ; Grau-Grau, Marc ; Yerkes, Mara A. ;

    Zitatform

    Brega, Carla, Mara A. Yerkes & Marc Grau-Grau (2026): Fathers Combining Work and Care: Flexible Work Arrangements and Paternal Involvement Across Financial Situations. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 225-249. DOI:10.1177/09500170251386322

    Abstract

    "Flexible work arrangements significantly impact childcare divisions among dual-earner parents, yet few studies address their impact on fathers as primary caregivers. This article explores the relationship between fathers’ ability to work flexibly and their share of childcare responsibility across financial situations. A capabilities perspective is applied to better understand why fathers’ childcare aspirations may not align with what they are capable of in practice. Using 2021 survey data on fathers (n = 493) and mothers (n = 472) of young children in different-sex partnerships from four European countries, multinomial logistic regressions are estimated to predict childcare responsibility. Findings suggest fathers’ spatial flexibility (working from home) increases their likelihood of being the person primarily responsible for childcare, whereas temporal flexibility (varying the start/end times of the working day) does not. Economic conditions influence these dynamics, with financially strained fathers benefiting most from spatial flexibility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Early Childhood Education and Care and mother's labor supply: The role of publication and weak causal design biases (2026)

    Brugarolas, Pablo ;

    Zitatform

    Brugarolas, Pablo (2026): Early Childhood Education and Care and mother's labor supply: The role of publication and weak causal design biases. In: Review of Economics of the Household, S. 1-37. DOI:10.1007/s11150-026-09847-z

    Abstract

    "This paper conducts a meta-analysis of causal studies examining the impact of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs on maternal employment in developed countries. Using 981 effect-size estimates from 35 studies, I harmonize employment outcomes into percentage-point changes and assemble 70 study-level characteristics describing program design, subgroups, contexts, and empirical strategies. I apply a battery of linear and non-linear publication-bias tests and use model-averaging methods to account jointly for publication bias and what I term weak design bias, defined by whether studies satisfy core identification diagnostics for RDD, IV, RCT, and DiD designs. Publication bias is modest but non-negligible: correcting only for selective reporting reduces the descriptive mean effect of around 5 percentage points (p.p.) to roughly 1 p.p., yielding insignificant implied intention-to-treat (ITT) effects and average treatment-on-the-treated (ATT) effects of about 4 p.p. Once I also reweight the literature toward designs that meet identification checks, the implied ITT effect rises to about 8 p.p., and the implied ATT effect stabilizes around 10 p.p. The corrected ATT effects are particularly pronounced for child care programs, delivered by public providers, and implemented in high-employment settings. Overall, the results suggest that modern ECEC expansions generate sizeable employment gains for already attached mothers facing binding care constraints. They also provide bias-corrected benchmarks for evaluating ECEC reforms and their contribution to mitigating child penalties and gender gaps in labour-market outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Exports, Gender Inequality, and Family Commitment (2026)

    Chalermsook, Porjai; Ilmakunnas, Pekka ; Arnim, Rudiger von;

    Zitatform

    Chalermsook, Porjai, Pekka Ilmakunnas & Rudiger von Arnim (2026): Exports, Gender Inequality, and Family Commitment. In: Labour, Jg. 40, H. 1, S. 74-100. DOI:10.1111/labr.70007

    Abstract

    "This paper examines how exporting firms, gender, and family commitments interact to shape wage disparities. Using Finnish matched employer–employee data, we estimate wage equations that control for firm, worker, and match-specific unobservables. While exporting firms do not exhibit a wider gender wage gap overall, women with young children face additional short-run wage penalties, as shown by an event-study analysis that reveals a temporary but pronounced gap in the early post-childbirth years. These penalties are concentrated in occupations with greater temporal rigidity and limited scheduling flexibility, highlighting workplace flexibility constraints as a key mechanism. The findings suggest that the interaction between export-related temporal demands and caregiving responsibilities contributes to gendered wage dynamics. These results also raise questions about the continuing relevance of gender norms that disadvantage female employees, even in a context with strong public support for parental leave and childcare in Finland." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Gender Norms and the Labor Market (2026)

    Cortés, Patricia ; Hwang, Jisoo ; Pan, Jessica ; Schönberg, Uta;

    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'sabstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

    Beteiligte aus dem IAB

    Schönberg, Uta;
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Navigating Motherhood: Endogenous Penalties and Career Choice (2026)

    Coskun, Sena ; Özdemir, Yasemin; Dalgic, Husnu;

    Zitatform

    Coskun, Sena, Husnu Dalgic & Yasemin Özdemir (2026): Navigating Motherhood: Endogenous Penalties and Career Choice. (IAB-Discussion Paper 02/2026), Nürnberg, 57 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.DP.2602

    Abstract

    "Wir dokumentieren, dass Frauen sich vor der Geburt ihres ersten Kindes strategisch in „familienfreundliche” Sektoren sortieren, die durch geringere Erfahrungswerte, aber niedrigere Einbußen pro Kind gekennzeichnet sind. Dieses antizipatorische Sortieren stellt ex-ante Kosten der Mutterschaft dar, die von herkömmlichen Maßen für die Child Penalty gänzlich übersehen werden. Wir entwickeln ein Modell heterogener Akteure für Berufswahl und Fertilität, um diese „Sorting Penalty” zu quantifizieren. Unser zentrales Ergebnis ist, dass der direkte Einkommensverlust durch berufliches Sortieren zwar gering ist, dieses Resultat jedoch die hohe Wirksamkeit der primären Instrumente offenbart, mit denen Frauen Mutterschaft bewältigen: die Qualität-Quantität (Q-Q) und Zeitverwendung (T-E) Trade-offs. Durch empirische Evidenz für beide Spielräume zeigen wir, dass Frauen keine passiven Subjekte von Child Penalties sind; sie sind aktive, strategische Akteurinnen, die diese feineren Abwägungen nutzen, um familiäre Ziele zu erreichen und gleichzeitig berufliche Kosten zu mildern. Unsere Ergebnisse unterstreichen: Da Fertilität und Benachteiligungen zutiefst endogen sind, werden politische Rahmenbedingungen, die diese Trade-offs ausschließen, die Fertilitätsreaktionen und Karrierekosten von Interventionen grundlegend falsch berechnen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

    Beteiligte aus dem IAB

    Coskun, Sena ;
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Antecedents of Motherhood Penalties: The Work-Care Preferences of Socioeconomically Diverse Expectant Mothers (2026)

    Deming, Sarah M. ;

    Zitatform

    Deming, Sarah M. (2026): Antecedents of Motherhood Penalties: The Work-Care Preferences of Socioeconomically Diverse Expectant Mothers. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 47, H. 1, S. 74-94. DOI:10.1007/s10834-025-10071-7

    Abstract

    "This study contributes to the work-family literature in three ways. First, it challenges the emphasis on the economic impacts of motherhood by introducing a framework—Work-Care Preferences (WCP)—that acknowledges how women’s personal orientations to paid work and to motherhood converge to create varied preferences for how (or whether) to best combine the two. Second, documenting how women’s WCPs are influenced by socioeconomic status illuminates a previously unidentified mechanism by which motherhood penalties are unequally experienced. Lastly, by highlighting how expectant mothers’ personal conceptions of paid work influence their subsequent WCPs, it offers opportunities to design workplace and policy-level interventions to support maternal employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Inequalities in early childcare strategies: Evidence from Dutch administrative data (2026)

    Emery, Tom ;

    Zitatform

    Emery, Tom (2026): Inequalities in early childcare strategies: Evidence from Dutch administrative data. In: Advances in life course research, Jg. 67. DOI:10.1016/j.alcr.2026.100727

    Abstract

    "This study examines whether the well-documented socioeconomic gradient in formal childcare use is reflected in the timing, sequencing, and stability of childcare and employment strategies following the critical life course transition to parenthood. While higher-SES parents are consistently more likely to use formal childcare, the reasons for this disparity remain poorly understood principally due to data limitations and the complexity of household dynamics. Drawing on linked Dutch administrative data (2010–2019), we use multichannel sequence analysis to identify distinct “childcare strategies” across the first four years of children’s lives, capturing monthly trajectories of formal childcare use and parental employment. A subsequent multinomial regression models the association between these strategies and socioeconomic status. The results reveal wide variation in the stability, intensity, and timing of formal childcare use, closely intertwined with maternal employment patterns. Children from lower-SES households are more likely to experience complex, fragmented, and fragile childcare trajectories—characterized by delayed entry, irregular usage, and lower alignment with stable employment—confirming and extending findings from prior qualitative research. By quantifying these patterns across a full population cohort, the study demonstrates how childcare complexity itself reflects and reinforces broader social inequalities. We conclude that childcare policies must move beyond affordability to address accessibility, stability, and administrative complexity—particularly for parents with low incomes, precarious jobs, or self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Does Gender Ideology Matter? Pre-pandemic Gender Role Attitudes and the Division of Housework and Childcare During COVID-19 in Germany (2026)

    Firl, Katrin ; Hebel, Anna ;

    Zitatform

    Firl, Katrin & Anna Hebel (2026): Does Gender Ideology Matter? Pre-pandemic Gender Role Attitudes and the Division of Housework and Childcare During COVID-19 in Germany. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 51, S. 23-48. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2026-02

    Abstract

    "Women and mothers perform the lion’s share of unpaid family labor (i.e., housework and childcare) in Germany, negatively affecting their finances, time resources, opportunities in life, and mental health. The constraints brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the pandemic-related changes in working hours, are thought to have reorganized the division of unpaid family labor. However, changes in time availability alone cannot explain couples’ heterogeneous pandemic responses. While framing the pandemic as a natural experiment, we first examine how individuals’ pre-pandemic gender role attitudes (GRAs) shape the division of family labor during the pandemic. Second, we examine how individuals’ pre-pandemic GRAs moderate the effect of changing working hours during the pandemic on the division of family labor. We use Waves 11 and 13 of the German Family Panel “pairfam” to analyze two samples and questions. We examine (1) respondents in heterosexual, cohabitating relationships with and without children to study the division of housework and (2) respondents in heterosexual, cohabitating relationships living with at least one child to study the division of childcare. We find that individuals holding traditional pre-pandemic GRAs are, to some degree, more likely to have had a higher female share of family labor during the pandemic: for both housework and childcare, this association can be found for the samples as a whole, as well as for the sample with only men, but not for only women. However, the association is small and - for housework - only marginally significant. Most notably, we find evidence for a three-way-interaction between gender, GRAs, and changes in time availability for childcare: egalitarian men who reduced working hours took on a significantly greater share of childcare than traditional men did, consistent with the idea of "gender deviance neutralization". Traditionally-oriented men might take on less female-connotated unpaid labor, as their reduced engagement in the labor market does not match their masculinity ideals. We found no moderation effect of GRAs on the influence of increasing working hours during the pandemic on the division of family labor, neither for women nor men. Our analysis provides new insights into gendered interactional processes regarding time availability and its association with the gendered division of housework and childcare in a quasi-experimental setting that reduces endogeneity. While association sizes are small, our findings support the notion of a complex interplay between gender, GRAs, and time availability in the gendered division of labor." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Arbeits- und Betreuungsarrangements von Familien mit kleinen Kindern: Gesellschaftliche Einstellung zu Erwerbstätigkeit von Müttern und externer Kinderbetreuung (2026)

    Frodermann, Corinna ; Peters, Eileen ; Philipp, Marie-Fleur ; Wenzig, Claudia;

    Zitatform

    Frodermann, Corinna, Eileen Peters, Marie-Fleur Philipp & Claudia Wenzig (2026): Arbeits- und Betreuungsarrangements von Familien mit kleinen Kindern: Gesellschaftliche Einstellung zu Erwerbstätigkeit von Müttern und externer Kinderbetreuung. (IAB-Kurzbericht 02/2026), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2602

    Abstract

    "Die Förderung der Erwerbsintegration von Frauen und speziell von Müttern ist ein zentrales Thema der Arbeitsmarkt- und Gleichstellungspolitik. Entscheidend für eine Erwerbsaufnahme von Müttern sind dabei nicht nur die Bedingungen am Arbeitsmarkt und die vorhandenen Möglichkeiten der externen Kinderbetreuung, sondern auch die Einstellung zu Familie und Beruf. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersuchen die Autorinnen Normvorstellungen in der Bevölkerung zur außerhäuslichen Betreuung von Kindern und zur Erwerbstätigkeit von Müttern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

    Beteiligte aus dem IAB

    Frodermann, Corinna ; Wenzig, Claudia;
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  • Literaturhinweis

    Fathers use of extended parental leave: exploring company barriers in Sweden (2026)

    Haas, Linda ; Hwang, C. Philip ;

    Zitatform

    Haas, Linda & C. Philip Hwang (2026): Fathers use of extended parental leave: exploring company barriers in Sweden. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 386-407. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2024.2411026

    Abstract

    "In Sweden, men's parental leave rights are considered important for realizing gender equality. Men have the same compensated leave rights as women: three months each of nontransferable and transferable leave. Nevertheless, less than 20% of couples share leave equally (each taking 40% or more of all leave days). Understanding the circumstances under which fathers take leave beyond nontransferable months is important if equality is to be realized, yet few studies investigate this. Our survey of human resource directors in Sweden's top companies revealed extended leave use was not normative for fathers’ and especially male top managers and aspects of the gendered culture and structure of work organizations were associated with less extended leave use. Company awareness of parental leaves benefits for the company was significantly and independently related to fathers’ and top male managers extended leave use. Positive workplace attitudes and less job specialization increased fathers’ extended leave use. Companies’ setting fewer conditions encouraged more top male managers to take extended leave, as did a policy of managerial training to facilitate fathers’ leaves. Greater understanding of company barriers to fathers’ extended parental leave use may encourage companiesto remove those barriers which can increase fathers’ use of extended parental leave." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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  • Literaturhinweis

    Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen ab 45: Empirische Evidenz zum Einfluss finanzieller Anreize (2026)

    Herrmann, Fiona; Kinne, Lavinia ; Wrohlich, Katharina ;

    Zitatform

    Herrmann, Fiona, Lavinia Kinne & Katharina Wrohlich (2026): Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen ab 45. Empirische Evidenz zum Einfluss finanzieller Anreize. Gütersloh, 88 S. DOI:10.11586/2026036

    Abstract

    "Vor dem Hintergrund des demografischen Wandels und des damit einhergehenden zunehmenden Drucks auf die sozialen Sicherungssysteme werden aktuell die Erwerbsbeteiligung und die wöchentliche Erwerbsarbeitszeit von Frauen diskutiert. Die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen in Deutschland ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten stark gestiegen und liegt mit über 75 Prozent im internationalen Vergleich sehr hoch. Allerdings ist auch der Anteil der Teilzeitbeschäftigten unter den Frauen sehr hoch. Dies ist nicht nur bei Frauen mit jungen Kindern, sondern auch in der Altersgruppe ab 45 Jahren zu beobachten. Ein großer Teil der beschäftigten Frauen ist von der Phase der Familiengründung bis zum Ende ihrer Erwerbstätigkeit in Teilzeit erwerbstätig. Dadurch entsteht eine große geschlechtsspezifische Lücke in der Erwerbsarbeit, die auch negative Auswirkungen auf die Alterseinkünfte von Frauen hat. In dieser Studie werden die Gründe für den hohen Teilzeitanteil von Frauen in der Altersgruppe ab 45 Jahren untersucht. Dazu wurde eine Befragung der Zielgruppe (Frauen im Alter von 45 bis 66 Jahren) mit einem Vignetten-Experiment kombiniert. Dies ermöglicht es, nicht nur die Gründe für die aktuellen Erwerbsentscheidungen der Befragten zu ermitteln, sondern auch ihre Einstellungen zur Erwerbstätigkeit in verschiedenen Szenarien zu erheben. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen lassen sich unter anderem die Wirkungen finanzieller Anreize auf die Erwerbsentscheidungen von Frauen ableiten. Die Ergebnisse der Befragung zu den Gründen der aktuellen Erwerbsentscheidungen der Befragten zeigen, dass die meisten der nicht erwerbstätigen 45–66-jährigen Frauen aus gesundheitlichen Gründen ihren Beruf aufgegeben haben. Fast ein Drittel der Befragten gab auch an, dass es sich für sie finanziell nicht lohnen würde, eine Erwerbstätigkeit aufzunehmen. Die in Teilzeit beschäftigten Frauen gaben als Gründe für diese Wahl mehrheitlich an, Zeit für die Familie zu benötigen bzw. eine Vollzeittätigkeit als zu hohe körperliche Belastung zu empfinden. In dieser Gruppe gab sogar fast die Hälfte der Befragten an, dass sich eine Ausweitung der Erwerbstätigkeit finanziell zu wenig lohnen würde. Im Vignetten-Teil der Studie wurden den Befragten hypothetische Szenarien vorgelegt, die sich nach der Höhe des Stundenlohnes, der Art der Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit im Haushalt, den Arbeitsbedingungen und der -flexibilität sowie der Art der Besteuerung (gemeinsame versus getrennte Veranlagung) unterschieden. Die Befragten wurden gebeten, die aus ihrer Sicht optimale Arbeitszeit für die Frauen in diesen hypothetischen Situationen anzugeben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass veränderte finanzielle Anreize durch ein alternatives Steuerszenario die Erwerbsbeteiligung und die durchschnittlichen Erwerbsarbeitsstunden signifikant erhöhen würden. Insbesondere würde der Anteil der Frauen in Minijobs dadurch zugunsten einer höheren Vollzeit- und Teilzeit-Erwerbstätigkeit sinken. Auch die Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit und die Arbeitsbedingungen beeinflussen die gewählte Arbeitszeit. Unabhängig von der Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit und der Art der Arbeitsbedingungen zeigt die Vignetten-Befragung jedoch, dass finanzielle Anreize in allen Fällen eine wichtige Rolle spielen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Bertelsmann Stiftung)

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    Caring Dads? Universal Childcare, Paternity Leave, and Fathers’ Labor Supply (2026)

    Huebener, Mathias ; Mahlbacher, Malin; Schmitz, Sophia ;

    Zitatform

    Huebener, Mathias, Malin Mahlbacher & Sophia Schmitz (2026): Caring Dads? Universal Childcare, Paternity Leave, and Fathers’ Labor Supply. (IZA discussion paper / IZA Network @ LISER 18696), Bonn: IZA Network @ LISER, 62 S.

    Abstract

    "We study how expansions of publicly subsidized childcare affect the intra-household allocation of labor supply in early childhood, with a particular focus on fathers. Exploiting variation in the roll-out of childcare places for children under three across German counties, we show that increased availability accelerates childcare entry and maternal return to work. Fathers also adjust their labor supply: they take more parental leave and subsequently reduce full-time work, yet without significantly increasing weekday caregiving. These findings imply that childcare policies can reshape labor supply within households, leading to smaller aggregate labor supply effects than suggested by maternal responses alone." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Paid family leave and occupational mobility (2026)

    Liu, Andrew Yizhou ;

    Zitatform

    Liu, Andrew Yizhou (2026): Paid family leave and occupational mobility. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 58, H. 34, S. 6958-6969. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2025.2526858

    Abstract

    "Paid family leave (PFL) programmes provide temporary financial support and workplace flexibility for mothers, potentially influencing their occupational choices after childbirth. I find that state-level PFL programs reduce downward occupational mobility among women aged 19 to 35 with children aged 0 to 3 by approximately 42%, with stronger effects among high-school educated, black, and single mothers. However, these policies have no significant impact on upward occupational mobility, indicating that PFL alone may be insufficient for reducing the gender gap in occupation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Gender, Unpaid Work, and Social Norms in Young Italian Families: Evidence from Couples Time Diaries (2026)

    Monfardini, C.; Pisanelli, E.;

    Zitatform

    Monfardini, C. & E. Pisanelli (2026): Gender, Unpaid Work, and Social Norms in Young Italian Families: Evidence from Couples Time Diaries. (arXiv papers 2604.13896), 32 S.

    Abstract

    "Why do large gender inequalities in everyday life persist even as women strengthen their attachment to paid work? Existing evidence shows that women continue to do more unpaid work than men, but much of that evidence is based on individual diaries, says little about how inequality is jointly organized within couples, and rarely links daily time allocation to directly measured gender attitudes. This paper addresses that gap using the TIMES Observatory, an original survey of 1,928 co-resident couples with at least one child younger than 11 in Emilia-Romagna or Campania. The data combine matched partner diaries for one weekday and one weekend day with rich socio-economic information and direct measures of gender norms. We document three main findings. First, women do substantially more unpaid work and spend more time with children, while men do more paid work and enjoy more leisure without children. Second, these asymmetries remain sizeable even among dual full-time couples, implying that stronger female labor-market attachment does not by itself equalize daily life. Third, more traditional gender attitudes - especially among men - are descriptively associated with lower male participation in childcare and domestic work and with wider gaps in discretionary leisure. The analysis is descriptive rather than causal, but it shows that gender inequality within couples is visible not only in the amount of work performed, but also in the distribution of time that is genuinely discretionary." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    State-level gender inequality and couples’ relative earnings following parenthood over four decades (2026)

    Musick, Kelly ; Jeong, Wonjeong ;

    Zitatform

    Musick, Kelly & Wonjeong Jeong (2026): State-level gender inequality and couples’ relative earnings following parenthood over four decades. In: Social science research, Jg. 135. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103302

    Abstract

    "We draw from gender perspectives on the division of labor and emerging research on structural sexism to empirically evaluate how systemic gender inequality shapes within-couple earnings inequality at the turning point of parenthood. Our data on pre- and post-birth earnings come from successive couple-level panels of the Current Population Survey over four decades (1982–2020, N = 87,694 couples and 175,388 couple-observations), merged to state-level indicators of gender inequality spanning the same time period that tap the devaluation of work done by women across multiple domains. Results from fixed effect models suggest that state-level gender inequality shapes couples' responses to parenthood in meaningful ways, with steeper declines in wives' relative earnings among new parents living in states that place lower value on women's work. The estimated effect of sexism is gendered, operating through wives' earnings. It persists through the early childbearing years and across decades, and it varies little by measures of couples' social advantage. Evidence that structural sexism exacerbates earnings inequality among parents is robust, with implications for mothers' economic vulnerability and well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))

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    Zusammenhänge zwischen mentaler Care-Arbeit und psychischer Gesundheit bei Frauen und Männern in Deutschland: Übersetzung und Validierung einer deutschsprachigen Version des „Invisible Family Load Scale“ zur Messung mentaler Care-Arbeit (2026)

    Mülder, Lina Marie ; Wiczorek, Rebecca ; Hirschberger, Gina Marie ;

    Zitatform

    Mülder, Lina Marie, Gina Marie Hirschberger & Rebecca Wiczorek (2026): Zusammenhänge zwischen mentaler Care-Arbeit und psychischer Gesundheit bei Frauen und Männern in Deutschland. Übersetzung und Validierung einer deutschsprachigen Version des „Invisible Family Load Scale“ zur Messung mentaler Care-Arbeit. In: Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie, Jg. 70, H. 3, S. 113-125. DOI:10.1026/0932-4089/a000465

    Abstract

    "Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Untersuchung der Unterschiede zwischen Männern und Frauen in Deutschland bezüglich der Verteilung mentaler Care-Arbeit und ihres Einflusses auf die psychische Gesundheit. Zur Beantwortung dieser Forschungsfragen wurde der Fragebogen mentale Care-Arbeit, eine deutsche Version der Invisible Family Load Scale von Wayne et al., entwickelt und validiert. Er differenziert zwischen emotionaler, kognitiver und organisatorischer Care-Arbeit. Eine Stichprobe von 502 Eltern beantwortete Fragen zur mentalen Care-Arbeit sowie zu Stress, Depressivität, emotionaler Erschöpfung und Wohlbefinden. Die Auswertung zeigte, dass Frauen mehr mentale Care-Arbeit verrichten als Männer, dass diese negativ mit der psychischen Gesundheit korreliert und dies vor allem auf die emotionale Care-Arbeit zurückzuführen ist. Das Geschlecht moderiert diesen Zusammenhang. Männer, die wenig mentale Care-Arbeit leisten, sind dadurch psychisch überproportional beansprucht, während das bei Frauen der Fall ist, die viel leisten. Die Relevanz der emotionalen Care-Arbeit und die Geschlechterunterschiede bezüglich psychischer Gesundheit werden diskutiert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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    Low Fertility Around the World: The Role of Social Norms (2026)

    Nakakuni, Kanato; Tertilt, Michèle ; Yum, Minchul ;

    Zitatform

    Nakakuni, Kanato, Michèle Tertilt & Minchul Yum (2026): Low Fertility Around the World: The Role of Social Norms. (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 21342), London, 55 S.

    Abstract

    "This chapter examines how social norms shape fertility behavior. We first present cross-country evidence linking fertility to norms regarding family size, childcare, gender roles, parenting, and sexual behavior. We also review empirical studies showing substantial fertility spillovers within families, workplaces, and social networks. To interpret these patterns, we present a series of models to clarify the mechanisms through which norms and fertility decisions interact. We organize the theories by type of norm: norms about ideal family size, norms governing the use of market childcare, gender norms within the household, parenting norms related to educational investment and social comparison, and norms surrounding birth control. We discuss how changes in social norms over time may have contributed to fertility decline. Finally, we highlight promising directions for future research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Baby Boom or Baby Bust? Parental Leave of TMT Members and Innovation in SMEs (2026)

    Naldi, Lucia ; Baù, Massimo ; Piva, Evila ;

    Zitatform

    Naldi, Lucia, Evila Piva & Massimo Baù (2026): Baby Boom or Baby Bust? Parental Leave of TMT Members and Innovation in SMEs. In: Entrepreneurship theory and practice, S. 1-36. DOI:10.1177/10422587261440307

    Abstract

    "We investigate the effect of parental leave taken by top management team (TMT) members on innovation outputs in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By analyzing a large sample of Swedish SMEs, we find that the length of parental leave taken by TMT members has a positive effect on SME innovation outputs. This effect is stronger for smaller and longer-tenured TMTs, as these TMTs likely exhibit greater behavioral integration. Such integration can support TMT members in mitigating role conflicts and leveraging the role enhancement benefits connected to performing multiple roles during and after leave. These results contribute to the literature and offer valuable practical insights." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    The gendered division of housework in times of Covid-19: the role of essential worker status and work location (2026)

    Piolatto, Matteo ; Bashevska, Marija; Leshchenko, Olga ; Strauss, Susanne ; Remery, Chantal ;

    Zitatform

    Piolatto, Matteo, Marija Bashevska, Olga Leshchenko, Chantal Remery & Susanne Strauss (2026): The gendered division of housework in times of Covid-19: the role of essential worker status and work location. In: Journal of family studies, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 339-358. DOI:10.1080/13229400.2025.2526468

    Abstract

    "The question whether the measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19 exacerbated or reduced gender inequality with respect to the division of housework and childcare has initiated a large number of studies. This study adds to this field by investigating the role of an until now underexposed yet important element in the literature on the pandemic, which is the assignment of an essential worker status for one or two partners of a couple. Drawing on resource theory, we formulate different hypotheses on how an essential worker status impacts the gendered division of housework during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in dual-earner opposite-sex couples. In addition, as essential work was often, but not always done on-site, we use the time availability perspective to formulate hypotheses on how the impact of being assigned the essential work status interacts with remote-work. We investigate these research questions in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands using household longitudinal panel data from UKHLS and COGIS-LISS, applying panel fixed effects models. The results suggest that having an essential occupation is a resource for women but not men to renegotiate the division of housework. This is particularly the case when one or both partners can work from home." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    How Public Investments in Childcare Mitigate Childbirth Effects on Employment Transitions by Skill Level in Europe: Special Issue: Bringing the Ecological and the Social Together in the Green Transition: A Multilevel Analysis (2026)

    Plavgo, Ilze ;

    Zitatform

    Plavgo, Ilze (2026): How Public Investments in Childcare Mitigate Childbirth Effects on Employment Transitions by Skill Level in Europe. Special Issue: Bringing the Ecological and the Social Together in the Green Transition: A Multilevel Analysis. In: Regulation and governance, Jg. 20, H. 2, S. 635-651. DOI:10.1111/rego.70116

    Abstract

    "Public investments in childcare generally improve parents' employment chances, yet evidence on their magnitude, cross-national variation, and social distribution remains mixed. This study examines how public spending on early childhood education and care (ECEC) moderates post-childbirth employment attachment across Europe. Using longitudinal EU-SILC microdata for 26 countries (2003–2020) combined with social policy indicators, multilevel mixed-effects models trace within-person employment changes before and 2 years after childbirth by gender, skill level, and country context. Results show that childbirth substantially reduces women's employment probabilities, but higher public ECEC investment mitigates this decline by supporting re-entry into employment. At above-average spending levels, employment returns to pre-childbirth levels within 2 years, whereas recovery remains limited where ECEC investments are lower. The pattern holds across skill groups and welfare regimes, except in the Nordic countries, where low-skilled mothers benefit more. Findings underscore the role of ECEC investment in sustaining labor force participation in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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    Fostering Skills and Relief: Positive Spillover Effects Between Unpaid Caregiving and Paid Work (2026)

    Raiber, Klara ;

    Zitatform

    Raiber, Klara (2026): Fostering Skills and Relief: Positive Spillover Effects Between Unpaid Caregiving and Paid Work. In: Journal of Aging & Social Policy, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 754-770. DOI:10.1080/08959420.2025.2561425

    Abstract

    "With the expected rise in unpaid caregiving, many caregivers will have to combine care with employment. While most research finds negative spillovers between caregiving and employment, it is crucial to understand the factors under which caregiving has positive spillover effects. Analyzing Dutch retrospective data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social science (3,543 caregiving situations of 2,042 caregivers), this study examined how factors from the work environment and the caregiving situation are related to two positive spillovers, namely learned skills from caregiving for paid work and employment being a relief from caregiving. Results from multilevel models show that a working environment with high flexibility compared to no flexibility was related to more skill learning and relief. Further, we found that more understanding of managers and colleagues was related to learning skills, while managers and colleagues knowing about caregiving was linked to feeling relief. More diverse caregiving tasks were associated with more skills learned for paid work and more relief felt. These findings can guide state or firm-based policies to not only prevent negative but also foster positive spillovers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Wage Premium or Wage Penalty? Gendered Long-term Wage Development of Family Caregivers (2026)

    Raiber, Klara ; Möhring, Katja ; Visser, Mark ; Verbakel, Ellen ;

    Zitatform

    Raiber, Klara, Katja Möhring, Mark Visser & Ellen Verbakel (2026): Wage Premium or Wage Penalty? Gendered Long-term Wage Development of Family Caregivers. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 40, H. 1, S. 3-25. DOI:10.1177/09500170251348856

    Abstract

    "This study theoretically and empirically assesses the gendered relationship between family caregiving (excluding regular childcare) and wage development in the Netherlands applying conflict theory, which predicts a wage penalty due to difficulties in combining paid work and care, and enrichment theory, which expects a wage premium because of acquired skills and recognition. Growth curve modelling was used to analyse hourly wages from 19 years of register data combined with information on caregiving episodes, retrospectively collected among a Dutch sample (N = 2659 respondents and 324,940 months). Caregiving was distinguished by have-never cared, current caregivers and past caregivers, as well as by duration and intensity. The results showed that men’s wage growth slightly improved after caregiving stopped and when they provided intensive care. Women’s wage development was slightly weaker after caregiving stopped and when they provided intensive care. Thus, only men benefit from caregiving in terms of their wage growth, not women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    When Gender Trumps Skills: Employment Trajectories of Austrian Parents After Their First Birth (2026)

    Reiter, Claudia ; Spitzer, Sonja ;

    Zitatform

    Reiter, Claudia & Sonja Spitzer (2026): When Gender Trumps Skills: Employment Trajectories of Austrian Parents After Their First Birth. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 51, S. 1-22. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2026-01

    Abstract

    "Increasing the labour market participation of mothers is often seen as a solution to address skill shortages in countries with long child-related career interruptions. However, little is known about the leave-taking behaviour of parents with higher and lower skill levels. This study addresses that gap by examining how employment trajectories after the transition to parenthood vary by gender and skill level in Austria, which has one of the longest parental leave entitlements globally. We focus on understanding whether skill differences shape leave-taking and labour market re-entry, and to what extent they explain the large and persistent gender gaps in parental employment. We use a new dataset that, for the first time, links Austrian administrative data on births and daily labour market activities (2009-2022) with tested skill scores from the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Our main sample includes 5,130 Austrians born between 1942 and 1997. We focus on tested numeracy skills, which are strongly associated with employment and wages, offer a more precise measure of work-relevant skills than formal education, and account for important parts of the gender pay gap. Adopting a life-course perspective, we observe labour market patterns between the ages 20 and 70, and examine the three years before and after the birth of a first child to capture short- and medium-term dynamics. We find clear differences by skill level. Higher-skilled women tend to return to employment more quickly and are more likely to use educational leave to extend their parental leave. Lower-skilled mothers, by contrast, experience longer periods out of the labour force. Among fathers, skill gradients are present as well: higher-skilled men are more likely to take parental leave than their lower-skilled counterparts, though leave uptake remains very low in absolute terms. However, gender trumps skills. On average, mothers take 416 days of paid parental leave following the birth of their first child, while fathers take just nine days. Most mothers remain at home well beyond the period of paid leave, and part-time work is common upon return – regardless of skill level. Our findings suggest that policies aimed at increasing female labour market participation − particularly among the skilled − face structural constraints. In a context of demographic ageing and rising skill shortages, improving access to early childcare and encouraging more balanced leave-taking may be necessary to reduce gender gaps and make better use of existing skills across the workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Nonstandard work schedules and work-life balance in dual-earner households: The role of parenthood (2026)

    Resendez, Sarahi; Li, Jianghong ; Pollmann-Schult, Matthias ;

    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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    Gendered Attitudes or Structural Barriers? Men Front Line Workers' Perspectives on What Keeps Men out of Paid Care Work in Australia (2026)

    Roberts, Steven ; Prattes, Riikka; Elliott, Karla ; Foeken, Elsie;

    Zitatform

    Roberts, Steven, Elsie Foeken, Karla Elliott & Riikka Prattes (2026): Gendered Attitudes or Structural Barriers? Men Front Line Workers' Perspectives on What Keeps Men out of Paid Care Work in Australia. In: The British journal of sociology, S. 1-11. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.70086

    Abstract

    "Gender segregation in paid care work offers a critical lens for understanding how gender inequality is reproduced in contemporary societies. While much research has explained men's absence from paid care through cultural and identity-based accounts, less has been done to examine the structural mechanisms that sustain the feminisation of care. This paper addresses that gap by analysing men's experiences in frontline aged and disability care in Australia. Drawing on qualitative data from 41 men across 13 focus groups and 32 follow-up interviews, we find that anxiety around maintaining masculine identities is not a significant barrier. Gender operates primarily through structural and informational processes that make care work insecure, undervalued, and poorly understood. These challenges reflect the gendered devaluation of feminised labour, but are not primarily rooted in masculine identity conflict. We suggest that greater analytic attention to structural barriers is needed, alongside existing insights into identity and agency." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners (2026)

    Schneck, Stefan ;

    Zitatform

    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))

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    Estimating the effect of working from home on parents' division of childcare and housework: A new panel IV approach (2026)

    Schüller, Simone ;

    Zitatform

    Schüller, Simone (2026): Estimating the effect of working from home on parents' division of childcare and housework: A new panel IV approach. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 99. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2026.102866

    Abstract

    "This study investigates whether (and how) working from home (WFH) affects the gender division of parental unpaid labor. I use the recent COVID-19 pandemic that brought an unanticipated yet lasting shift to WFH, combined with a measure of occupational WFH feasibility (Alipour et al. 2023) as a quasi-experiment to employ an instrumental variable (IV) approach and estimate causal effects. I use unique longitudinal data from the “Growing up in Germany” (AID:A) panel study, which administered a pre-pandemicwave in 2019, and a post-pandemic wave in 2023. AID:A contains rich information on mothers’ and fathers’ time use for work, commuting, childcare, and housework. I find that the most robust effects emerge for frequent (at least once a week) paternal WFH on parental division of housework: families in which fathers start weekly WFH in the period 2019 to 2023—due to their occupational WFH capacity in combination with the pandemic WFH-boost—experience a significant decrease in the maternal share of housework. Interestingly, this shift appears to be mainly driven by a reduction of maternal time use for housework (combined with an increase in her work hours) and less by an increase in paternal time use for housework, suggesting cross-parent effects of WFH. Further analysis confirms changes in paternal gender role attitudes as a plausible mechanism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))

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    Cross-cohort employment differences among U.S. mothers of young children: The role of nonparental childcare (2026)

    Shattuck, Rachel M.;

    Zitatform

    Shattuck, Rachel M. (2026): Cross-cohort employment differences among U.S. mothers of young children: The role of nonparental childcare. In: Social science research, Jg. 133. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103261

    Abstract

    "Following increased mothers' employment since the later 20th century, the majority of U.S. mothers now experience employment with children under age three. Most use nonparental childcare (NPC) while employed. NPC can include care provided in childcare centers and preschools, as well as by nannies, babysitters and relatives, and in family childcare homes. Changes since the 1980s to care costs and availability, labor market conditions, family structures, and public assistance policies may result in differences in the predictive relationship between NPC use and employment among late-20th vs. early-21st century mothers. I use National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) (“Baby-Boomers”) and 1997 (“Millennials”) data to compare monthly likelihood of full-time employment, part-time employment, and employment exit—and how NPC use differently affects these—among mothers of children under three. A hybrid model including within-person and between-person components compares women to themselves at different points in time when they are employed either with or without NPC. NPC use increases full-time employment, and employment stability, for mothers in both cohorts. However, Millennials use NPC more than Baby-Boomers. Furthermore, NPC increases the likelihood of maintaining full-time employment, and transitioning from part-time to full-time employment, by larger magnitudes for Millennials than for Baby-Boomers. Supplementary descriptive analyses show changed care types, increased care costs, and increased nonstandard employment, all of which may contribute to this cross-cohort difference. Results demonstrate how NPC plays a key role in supporting employment within individual women's life courses, and how these effects may differ across different social and historical settings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))

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    Life-Cycle Effects of Public Childcare: Evidence on Children and Their Parents (2026)

    Silliman, Mikko; Mäkinen, Juuso;

    Zitatform

    Silliman, Mikko & Juuso Mäkinen (2026): Life-Cycle Effects of Public Childcare: Evidence on Children and Their Parents. (CESifo working paper 12372), München, 102 S.

    Abstract

    "This paper provides large-scale evidence linking the economic effects of childcare programs to social skills measured in adulthood. We examine Finland's first national public childcare program, and document that it increased parental labor supply - through retirement - while reducing the intergenerational persistence of income. Critically, we leverage Finnish Defence Forces data on the near population of males to show that effects on children's adult income are underlied by lasting effects on social skills. Further, we show that life-cycle cost-effectiveness estimates based on the assumption of constant effects after typical observation windows can considerably overestimate the net costs of public childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Mapping the Determinants of Female Employment: Labour Market Areas and Spatial Spillovers (2026)

    Simón-Albert, Raquel ; Mayor, Matías ; Simón, Hipólito ; Casado-Díaz, José M. ;

    Zitatform

    Simón-Albert, Raquel, Matías Mayor, José M. Casado-Díaz & Hipólito Simón (2026): Mapping the Determinants of Female Employment: Labour Market Areas and Spatial Spillovers. In: Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie, Jg. 117, H. 2, S. 250-270. 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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    Policy configurations and the elasticity of gendered patterns of paid and unpaid work-evidence from comparative conjoint analyses (2026)

    Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle ; Oehrli, Dominique ; Lütolf, Meret ;

    Zitatform

    Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle, Dominique Oehrli & Meret Lütolf (2026): Policy configurations and the elasticity of gendered patterns of paid and unpaid work-evidence from comparative conjoint analyses. In: Social forces. DOI:10.1093/sf/soag038

    Abstract

    "A considerable number of scholars have discussed the role that family policies play in shaping the gendered division of labor within households. The majority of this research has focused on childcare and parental leave policies and their relationship with maternal employment. In this article, we adopt a more holistic approach to study gender-specific pathways toward more equalized work patterns by investigating the role of various family policy conditions, both past and future, on paid and unpaid work patterns among men and women. We present novel survey data from five countries, including conjoint analyses, which enables us to consider that the elasticity of households to move toward more equal divisions of work may be contingent on the gender regime in which individuals live as well as on their desire and opportunity to change. Our results demonstrate that the elasticity to change strongly depends on current work patterns both at the household and the country level. Moreover, long parental leave for men and financial incentives have the strongest potential to trigger changes in work intentions. Nevertheless, significant discrepancies in the impact of policy measures between countries, as well as between women and men, can be discerned." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Take it or leave it: how maternal leave duration affects societal perceptions of women in Germany and Israel (2026)

    Stertz, Anna M. ; Waismel-Manor, Ronit ;

    Zitatform

    Stertz, Anna M. & Ronit Waismel-Manor (2026): Take it or leave it: how maternal leave duration affects societal perceptions of women in Germany and Israel. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-9. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2026.2621075

    Abstract

    "This research investigates how the duration of parental leave taken by working mothers influences ‘ideal worker’ and ‘good mother’ norms perceptions in two distinct cultural and policy contexts: Germany (N\u2009=\u2009262; main activity: 65.9% university students, 26.7% paid work) and Israel (N\u2009=\u2009504; main activity: 100% university students, of whom 79.0% also engaged in paid work). In experimental online studies, participants evaluated a fictitious mother based on a vignette. Leave length was experimentally manipulated across four conditions: 4, 6, 12, and 36 months (the latter only in Germany). The results yielded similar trends in both countries. Mothers are more likely to be viewed as better parents if they take the longest leave offered, and as better workers if they take short periods of leave. Nevertheless, our results show that in both countries, the decision to take parental leave of any given length does not substantially harm evaluations toward working mothers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Ceilings: Gender Inequality in Hours, Earnings and Health (2026)

    Strazdins, Lyndall ; Doan, Tinh ; Leach, Liana ; Pollmann-Schult, Matthias ; Kaiser, Till ; Li, Jianghong ;

    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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    Division of Labor Over the Life Course: Structural or Symbolic Pressures? (2026)

    Tabor, Jaclyn A. ; Mead, Cassie; Oslawski-Lopez, Jamie; Grady, Rebecca K.;

    Zitatform

    Tabor, Jaclyn A., Cassie Mead, Jamie Oslawski-Lopez & Rebecca K. Grady (2026): Division of Labor Over the Life Course: Structural or Symbolic Pressures? In: Journal of Marriage and Family, Jg. 88, H. 2, S. 425-441. DOI:10.1111/jomf.70023

    Abstract

    "Objective: Do structural or symbolic pressures, as measured by work-family transitions, play a greater role in determining the gendered division of household labor? Background: Scholars explain gendered divisions of household labor using structural (i.e., resource allocation; time availability) and symbolic explanations (i.e., gender as a social institution; doing gender). We concurrently tested these theories through the lens of major work–family transitions, which have been shown to impact household labor in previous research. Method: We used two nationally representative, longitudinal datasets: The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) to understand how work-family transitions impact male and female partners' household labor hours, as well as the proportion of housework performed by female partners. To do this, we used fixed effects models (PSID), lagged dependent variable models, and first difference change score models (NSFH). Results: We found that parenthood and work transitions, transitions that exert structural pressure, were associated with female partners' proportion of housework. On the other hand, the transition from cohabitation to marriage and relationship tenure, measures that are more symbolic in nature, did not significantly impact male or female partners' household labor. Conclusion: Overall, the structural pressures underlying work-family transitions appear to play a larger role in determining the division of household labor as compared to symbolic pressures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Attitudes Towards Work: The Care Arrangements of Couples With Preschool‐Aged Children—A European Comparison (2026)

    Třísková, Hana; Szalma, Ivett;

    Zitatform

    Třísková, Hana & Ivett Szalma (2026): Attitudes Towards Work: The Care Arrangements of Couples With Preschool‐Aged Children—A European Comparison. In: Social Inclusion, Jg. 14. DOI:10.17645/si.11016

    Abstract

    "Societal expectations in Europe regarding the roles of mothers and fathers in the work and caregiving spheres continue to evolve unevenly. While the labour market participation of women has become widespread, shifts in terms of normative support for paternal caregiving have progressed more slowly, which reflects a persistent cultural lag in the gender revolution process. This study examines public attitudes towards work–care arrangements and preferences for organising work and childcare for preschool-aged children employing data from the 2022 International Social Survey Programme conducted across 16 European countries. Applying multinomial logistic regression models, the analysis compares support for three ideal-typical arrangements—traditional, semi-traditional, and egalitarian—across a range of sociodemographic, attitudinal, and contextual dimensions. The findings reveal pronounced regional patterns: Egalitarian preferences dominate in Nordic countries, semi-traditional models are more prevalent in parts of Central and Southern Europe, and traditional orientations remain dominant in post-socialist contexts. Gender ideology, religiosity, and education comprise the central predictors of support for egalitarian arrangements, while attitudes towards the distribution of paid parental leave further differentiate national profiles. Overall, the results demonstrate that public preferences are shaped by the interplay of cultural norms and institutional conditions, which underscores the tension between advancing structural change and enduring normative expectations that surround parental roles in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Fertility and Family Leave Policies in Germany: Optimal Policy Design in a Dynamic Framework (2026)

    Wang, Hanna ;

    Zitatform

    Wang, Hanna (2026): Fertility and Family Leave Policies in Germany: Optimal Policy Design in a Dynamic Framework. (RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2026,29), Berlin, 71 S.

    Abstract

    "I develop and estimate a life-cycle discrete-choice model of fertility and female labor supply to study the optimal design of a range of child-related policies. First, I examine two German reforms that introduced wage-contingent parental leave payments and expanded access to low-cost public childcare. I find that both reforms raised completed fertility, with the parental leave reform having a particularly strong impact on highly educated women. Second, I solve for a budget-neutral optimal policy portfolio that maximizes either aggregate welfare or fertility, while ensuring that welfare and fertility do not decline for any education group. I consider four prominent child subsidies as well as the degree of tax jointness. My results show that optimal policy has the potential to increase welfare by 0.5% or fertility by 5.7%. While the solutions are qualitatively similar, they prioritize different policy instruments depending on the specific objective being targeted." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Das Arbeitskräftepotenzial von Frauen - ein Weg aus dem Fachkräftemangel? (2026)

    Wanger, Susanne ;

    Zitatform

    Wanger, Susanne (2026): Das Arbeitskräftepotenzial von Frauen - ein Weg aus dem Fachkräftemangel? In: S. Bothfeld, C. Hohendanner, P. Schütt & A. Yollu-Tok (Hrsg.) (2026): Geschlechtergerecht gestalten. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik, S. 75-90, 2025-02-11.

    Abstract

    "Trotz zunehmender Erwerbstätigkeit bleibt die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen hinter deren Präferenzen zurück. Das unausgeschöpfte Erwerbspotenzial von teilzeitbeschäftigten Frauen, die ihre Arbeitszeit ausdehnen möchten, entspricht derzeit knapp 700.000 Vollzeitäquivalenten. Die Realisierung der Arbeitszeitwünsche und die Ausschöpfung des ungenutztem Arbeitsvolumens bei Frauen verlangt jedoch die Schaffung von günstigen Rahmenbedingungen, wie etwa bedarfsgerechte Kinderbetreuung und stärkere finanzielle Anreize für eine gleichmäßigere Aufteilung der Erwerbs- und Sorgearbeit." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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    Wanger, Susanne ;
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    Carrying the Domestic Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender, Class and the Domestic Division of Labour (2026)

    Warren, Tracey ; Torres, Luis ; Lyonette, Clare ; Tarlo, Ruth ;

    Zitatform

    Warren, Tracey, Luis Torres, Clare Lyonette & Ruth Tarlo (2026): Carrying the Domestic Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender, Class and the Domestic Division of Labour. In: Sociology, Jg. 60, H. 3, S. 555-577. DOI:10.1177/00380385251380773

    Abstract

    "This article explores gender and class inequalities in the domestic division of labour in the UK. Inequalities in housework and caring are important: they shape who can enter the paid workforce and on what terms, impacting career progression, financial security, work–life balance and well-being. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew women shouldered the heaviest burden of housework and caring, but far less was known about class variation among workers. The pandemic intensified housework and caring but it also provided opportunities for a re-evaluation of established practices. Drawing on secondary analysis of data from working-age employees in the UK Household Longitudinal Study, we find gender remained pivotal in shaping domestic working and childcaring, but women and men were living differently classed pandemic lives. The article contributes to interlinking sociological debates about the unpaid essential work within the home, women and men’s working lives during times of turbulence and class inequalities therein." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Gender differences in employers' promotion preferences? The role of working time, care obligations, and work-family policies (2026)

    Wehner, Caroline ; Grip, Andries de ; Protsch, Paula ;

    Zitatform

    Wehner, Caroline, Paula Protsch & Andries de Grip (2026): Gender differences in employers' promotion preferences? The role of working time, care obligations, and work-family policies. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 104. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2026.101154

    Abstract

    "Despite considerable changes in recent decades, women and men still have different careers, fostering gender inequality in paid work. Women work more often part-time and have more care obligations, which are typically regarded as incongruent with leadership roles and might lead to career penalties. We investigate employers’ gender-related promotion preferences. Using a large factorial survey experiment across organizations in Germany enables us to disentangle employer preferences regarding gender from their promotion preferences on employees’ working time and care obligations. We find career penalties for working part-time as well as having care obligations, instead of gender as such. Work–family policies do not appear to equalize the promotion probability between employees having care obligations and those without any care obligations. These findings reflect the impact of gender inequality in the household on the career opportunities of women. They suggest that the lower promotion chances for women compared to men that are observed in practice are due to unequal distributions of care obligations and working part-time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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    The earned income tax credit (EITC) and time spent helping and caring for adults (2026)

    Wiersma Strauss, Anna ;

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    Wiersma Strauss, Anna (2026): The earned income tax credit (EITC) and time spent helping and caring for adults. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 24, H. 1, S. 233-267. DOI:10.1007/s11150-024-09731-8

    Abstract

    "This is the first study to examine the effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on unpaid caregiving for adults, which could operate through the credit’s effects on labor supply and household income. Using a sample of unmarried mothers and data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), I employ a simulated benefit approach to generate causal estimates of the effect of EITC generosity on time use. I find that increases in average EITC benefits have differential effects on assisting adults by both the age of the EITC recipient and the relationship between the EITC recipient and the care recipient. No effect is estimated for the youngest group of unmarried mothers (ages 25–34), who increase employment without reducing time spent assisting adults. In contrast, the oldest group of unmarried mothers (ages 45–54) responds by increasing their propensity to assist their parents while maintaining their labor supply. Unmarried mothers aged 35–44 both increase their labor supply and spend more time assisting adult family members on the intensive margin, even as they are less likely to assist parents on the extensive margin, especially with chore help. Results for other types of time use (home production, leisure, childcare, education, sleep), as well as probability of multigenerational co-residence, help explain these shifts. For example, for the oldest group of unmarried mothers, increased co-residence with parents is estimated to occur and may facilitate this labor-caregiving balance. These results add to a growing body of evidence that the EITC affects recipients’ time allocation beyond paid work and that the effectsof the EITC span across generations and households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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    Unveiling hidden impacts: heterogeneous effects of extended parental leave on mothers’ labour outcomes* (2026)

    Zhao, Qiongda; Zhang, Zhuo;

    Zitatform

    Zhao, Qiongda & Zhuo Zhang (2026): Unveiling hidden impacts: heterogeneous effects of extended parental leave on mothers’ labour outcomes*. In: Applied Economics, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2026.2624050

    Abstract

    "This paper examines the impact of extended parental leave benefits in Canada on mothers’ earnings following childbirth. We exploit a sharp policy cut-off and implement a regression discontinuity design combined with a difference-in-differences approach (RD-DD), comparing mothers who gave birth shortly before and after the reform. We find that the extension of cash benefits leads to a reduction in mothers’ earnings in the short run, reflecting delayed returns to work. In contrast, medium- and long-run effects on average earnings are small and statistically insignificant. These null mean effects, however, conceal substantial heterogeneity. Quantile regression estimates show that extending cash benefits without extending job protection generates sizable earnings losses among high-earning mothers, whereas extending job protection substantially mitigates these losses and yields positive effects for middle-earning mothers. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of job protection in parental leave design, suggesting that it helps high-earning mothers maintain career continuity while providing greater stability for middle earners." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Motherhood and Systemic Gender Pay Gap Faced by Women in European Union Countries (2026)

    Zhu, Ning; Gaweł, Aleksandra ; Toikko, Timo ;

    Zitatform

    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, Jg. 47, H. 1, S. 160-178. 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))

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    Heuristics and Signals: Experimental Evidence on Information and Wage Discrimination (2025)

    -Wysocka, Katarzyna Bech; Smyk, Magdalena;

    Zitatform

    -Wysocka, Katarzyna Bech & Magdalena Smyk (2025): Heuristics and Signals: Experimental Evidence on Information and Wage Discrimination. (GRAPE working paper / Group for Research in Applied Economics 106), Warszawa, 27 S.

    Abstract

    "Statistical discrimination theory explains wage differences between demographic groups by referring to differences in group averages or heuristic-based decision-making. This study investigates whether providing employers with accurate information about individual productivity affects wage-setting practices. We replicate a labor market scenario in which employers determine wages based on perceived productivity differences between male and female workers. Our experimental findings suggest that statistical discrimination influences initial wage decisions, but access to individual performance data reduces reliance on group-based heuristics. The dominant strategy when the actual information about performance is to share the resources according to contribution. We observe that in tasks where women statistically outperform, higher-scoring individuals tend to receive slightly less than their proportional contribution, whereas in tasks where men perform better, they tend to receive slightly more than their contribution. Furthermore, we show that with only statistical information, significant gender-based wage discrimination aligned with performance stereotypes occurs, but there is no gender discrimination under full information about performance. Our results contribute to the broader discussion on labour market inequalities and approaches to reducing statistical discrimination." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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    Die Qual der Wahl? Soziale Strukturierungen der tariflichen Wahlmöglichkeit zwischen Zeit und Geld (2025)

    Abendroth-Sohl, Anja ; Ruf, Kevin ; Bächmann, Ann-Christin ; Mellies, Alexandra;

    Zitatform

    Abendroth-Sohl, Anja, Ann-Christin Bächmann, Alexandra Mellies & Kevin Ruf (2025): Die Qual der Wahl? Soziale Strukturierungen der tariflichen Wahlmöglichkeit zwischen Zeit und Geld. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 78, H. 1, S. 22-29., 2025-11-01. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2025-1-22

    Abstract

    "Immer mehr Beschäftigte sehen sich mit Vereinbarkeitskonflikten zwischen Privatem und Beruflichem konfrontiert. Entsprechend hat der Wunsch nach mehr Mitbestimmung in der Gestaltung der individuellen Arbeitszeit gesellschaftlich stark an Bedeutung gewonnen. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben einige Gewerkschaften eine tarifliche Wahloption durchgesetzt, die es Beschäftigten erlaubt, sich jährlich zwischen mehr Zeit oder mehr Geld zu entscheiden. Dieser Beitrag untersucht, inwieweit die Wahl von mehr Zeit anstelle von mehr Geld sozial strukturiert ist; er berücksichtigt dabei Unterschiede bei der Wahl von Zeit sowie die dahinterliegenden Motive zwischen Männern und Frauen mit und ohne Kinder unter 14 Jahren im Haushalt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Nomos)

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    Ruf, Kevin ; Bächmann, Ann-Christin ;
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    The role of gender and equity norms in the social acceptance of outsourcing housework (2025)

    Abraham, Martin ; Walch, Hanna; Wunder, Anja ;

    Zitatform

    Abraham, Martin, Hanna Walch & Anja Wunder (2025): The role of gender and equity norms in the social acceptance of outsourcing housework. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 37, S. 119-140., 2025-04-16. DOI:10.20377/jfr-1111

    Abstract

    "Fragestellung: In diese Studie wird das Zusammenspiel von Geschlechter- und Gleichheitsnormen im Hinblick auf die gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz der Auslagerung von Hausarbeit untersucht. Hintergrund: Zur Erklärung der Auslagerung von Hausarbeit werden häufig Geschlechternormen herangezogen, allerdings sind die bisherigen Forschungsergebnisse diesbezüglich jedoch uneinheitlich. Wir argumentieren, dass dies auf die Vernachlässigung einer weiteren zentralen Norm – der Gleichheit – zurückzuführen sein kann, die für das Verhältnis von Leistungen und Gegenleistungen in sozialen Austauschbeziehungen entscheidend ist. Methode: Zur Überprüfung unserer Hypothesen greifen wir auf eine faktoriellen Suryey zurück, die 2020 in Deutschland durchgeführt wurde (N = 366). Die Teilnehmenden bewerteten darin hypothetische Situationen (Vignetten), in denen ein Paar Hausarbeit an Dritte auslagert. Die Auswertung erfolgte mittels linearer Regressionsanalysen mit clusterrobusten Standardfehlern. Ergebnisse: Erstens ist die Auslagerung von Hausarbeit bei Frauen gesellschaftlich weniger akzeptiert als bei Männern – unabhängig davon, ob es sich um eine traditionell männlich oder weiblich konnotierte Aufgabe handelt. Zweitens steigt die Akzeptanz, wenn die auslagernde Person mehr Arbeitsstunden leistet. Drittens verringert sich der Gender Gap bei der sozialen Akzeptanz von Auslagerung nur bei vollzeitbeschäftigten Personen. Insbesondere teilzeitbeschäftigte Frauen stoßen auf geringere gesellschaftliche Zustimmung. Schlussfolgerung: Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Geschlechternormen die soziale Akzeptanz der Auslagerung von Hausarbeit durch teilzeitbeschäftigte Frauen verringern. Gleichheitsnormen hingegen können diesen Effekt bei vollzeitbeschäftigten Frauen abmildern. Insgesamt erweisen sich Geschlechternormen als besonders stabil in Paarmodellen mit einer traditionellen Rollenverteilung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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    Wunder, Anja ;
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    Parental Leave: Economic Incentives and Cultural Change (2025)

    Albrecht, James ; Edin, Per-Anders ; Fernandez, Raquel; Vroman, Susan ; Thoursie, Peter; Lee, Jiwon;

    Zitatform

    Albrecht, James, Per-Anders Edin, Raquel Fernandez, Jiwon Lee, Peter Thoursie & Susan Vroman (2025): Parental Leave: Economic Incentives and Cultural Change. (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 20541), London, 57 S.

    Abstract

    "The distribution of parental leave uptake and childcare activities continues to conform to traditional gender roles. In 2002, with the goal of increasing gender equality, Sweden added a second “daddy month,” i.e., an additional month of pay-related parental leave reserved exclusively for each parent. This policy increased men’s parental leave uptake and decreased women’s, thereby increasing men’s share. To understand how various factors contributed to these outcomes, we develop and estimate a quantitative model of the household in which preferences towards parental leave respond to peer behavior. We distinguish households by the education of the parents and ask the model to match key features of the parental leave distribution before and after the reform by gender and household type (the parents’ education). We find that changed incentives and, especially, changed social norms played an important role in generating these outcomes whereas changed wage parameters, including the future wage penalty associated with different lengths of parental leave uptake, were minor contributors. We then use our model to evaluate three counterfactual policies designed to increase men’s share of parental leave and conclude that giving each parent a non-transferable endowment of parental leave or only paying for the length of time equally taken by each parent would both dramatically increase men’s share whereas decreasing childcare costs has almost no effect." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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