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Syrda, Joanna (2026): Gendered reporting of housework across relative spousal income. In: Social science research, Jg. 134. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103303

Abstract

"The measured work that wives and husbands perform at home and in the labour market remains strongly gendered. Competing theoretical perspectives offer divergent predictions about how relative spousal income shapes the division of housework: exchange and bargaining models predict that the higher earner performs less domestic labour, whereas sociological accounts emphasize persistent traditional gender norms. Empirical findings mirror this divide, and existing research typically overlooks gendered reporting bias in household survey data.Using data from the 1999–2023 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), this study examines whether the relationship between relative spousal income and housework depends on the gender of the household respondent. The PSID's rotating respondent design - where either spouse reports for the household - combined with within-household fixed effects and double-demeaned interaction models reveal asymmetries. When wives report, the association between relative income and housework aligns with exchange and bargaining theory. When husbands report, the same households exhibit a curvilinear pattern consistent with gender deviance neutralization. Respondent gender therefore fundamentally shapes empirical conclusions about the income-housework relationship, indicating that gender norms structure not only domestic labour but also its survey representation.Approximately one quarter of couples switch respondents over time, and these effects are identified from this subset. That strong asymmetries emerge even among more egalitarian households underscores the importance of gendered reporting. Methodologically, the findings show that conventional fixed effects models attenuate respondent-contingent nonlinearities, whereas double-demeaned estimators that control for both unit and time effects recover sharper and theoretically coherent patterns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))

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Biasi, Paola, Maria De Paola & Francesca Gioia (2025): When Mothers Out-Earn Fathers: Effects on Fathers' Decisions to Take Paternity and Parental Leave. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17601), Bonn, 36 S.

Abstract

"This study investigates the influence of the male breadwinner norm on fathers' decisions regarding childcare responsibilities. We study the complex interplay between economic factors and gender norms in shaping the division of household labor within families by analyzing the impact a breadwinning mother has on fathers' choices regarding paternity leave (fully subsidized) and parental leave (partially or not subsidized). We exploit administrative data, provided by the Italian National Security Institute (INPS), including demographic and working characteristics of both parents together with information on the use of paternity and parental leave by fathers in the 2013-2023 period. We find that, in line with the "doing gender" hypothesis, when the leave is fully subsidized, as for paternity leave, fathers are less likely to engage in childcare when their wives earn more than they do. In contrast, this dynamic does not apply in cases of parental leave, where the economic costs of aligning with the gender norm are substantial. The effects we find are robust when replacing the actual probability of there being an out-earning mother with the potential probability and are amplified by the salience of the gender identity norm." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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De Nardi, Mariacristina, Giulio Fella & Gonzalo Paz-Pardo (2025): Wage Risk and Government and Spousal Insurance. In: The Review of Economic Studies, Jg. 92, H. 2, S. 954-980. DOI:10.1093/restud/rdae042

Abstract

"The extent to which households can self-insure depends on family structure and wage risk. We calibrate a model of couples and singles’ savings and labour supply under two types of wage processes. The first wage process is the canonical—age-independent, linear—one that is typically used to evaluate government insurance provision. The second wage process is a flexible one. We use our model to evaluate the optimal mix of the two most common types of means-tested benefits—IW versus income floor. The canonical wage process underestimates wage persistence for women and thus implies that IW benefits should account for most benefit income. In contrast, the richer wage process that matches the wage data well, implies that the income floor should be the main benefit source, similarly to the system in place in the U.K. This stresses that allowing for rich wage dynamics is important to properly evaluate policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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García-Sierra, Alicia (2025): Do Mothers’ Occupation-Specific Skills Impact Children’s Developmental Processes? In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 100. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101102

Abstract

"This study examines whether mothers’ occupation-specific skills influence children’s development. I argue that while education is a valuable proxy for parental skills, it fails to capture an important dimension of human capital: the skills parents acquire through their occupational experiences. Parents enhance their human capital through on-the-job learning, with occupation-specific expertise becoming integral to their skill sets. Combining longitudinal family data (NLSY79-CYA) and the O*NET dataset, I employ two-way fixed effects, inverse probability weighting, and asymmetric fixed effects models. I exploit changes in the required skill levels of mothers’ occupations following job switches. Results indicate that when mothers transition to roles requiring higher levels of mathematical skills, their children’s mathematical abilities improve. Similar trends are observed for literacy skills, although the effects are less consistently robust. Additionally, longer maternal job tenure amplifies these effects, which are primarily driven by increases in skill requirements rather than decreases. Furthermore, children in high-SES families benefit more from increases in their mothers’ occupational skill requirements than children in low-SES families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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Guner, Nezih, Yuliya A. Kulikova & Arnau Valladares-Esteban (2025): Does the Added Worker Effect Matter? In: Review of Economic Dynamics, Jg. 56. DOI:10.1016/j.red.2025.101271

Abstract

"In the US, the likelihood of a married woman entering the labor force in a given month increases by 60% if her husband loses his job, known as the added worker effect. However, only 1.5% to 3.5% of married women entering the labor force in a given month can be added workers. This raises the question of whether the added worker effect can significantly impact aggregate labor market outcomes. Building on Shimer (2012), we introduce a new methodology to evaluate how joint transitions of married couples across labor market states affect aggregate participation, employment, and unemployment rates. Our results show that the added worker effect significantly impacts aggregate outcomes, increasing married women's participation and employment by 0.72 and 0.65 percentage points each month. Additionally, the added worker effect reduces the cyclicality of married women's participation and unemployment, lowering the correlation between GDP's cyclical components and participation by 4.5 percentage points and unemployment by 8 percentage points." (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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Herzberg-Druker, Efrat (2025): Couples' division of paid work and rising income inequality: A study of 21 OECD countries. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 99. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101084

Abstract

"Numerous scholars have explored the association between women's changing employment patterns and the changing income inequality in recent decades. While most studies indicate that increased women's employment reduces household inequality, a few suggest the opposite effect. This research investigated whether shifts in the division of paid work (i.e., changes in the working hours) among heterosexual couples, as compared to changes in women's work alone, contribute to changes in income inequality. It also examined whether the selection of couples into the different types of division of paid work based on their level of education is a mechanism underlying the growing inequality. Based on counterfactual analyses of data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), encompassing 21 OECD countries, the findings demonstrate shifts in couples' division of paid work, particularly the increase in fulltime dual-earner households, are associated with rising income inequality in most countries studied. However, changes in educational attainment were not found to be the mechanism underlying the association between changes in couples' division of paid work and changes in income inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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Kawano, Laura, Sara LaLumia, Shanthi Ramnath & Michael Stevens (2025): Who picks up the slack? Understanding spousal responses to unemployment spells. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 96. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102732

Abstract

"We use a large panel of married households to update estimated added worker effects. In response to a primary earner’s job loss, secondary earners are 1.1 to 2.4 percentage points more likely to work and compensate for 3.6 to 5.1 percent of the displaced worker’s lost earnings. When a secondary earner is displaced, spousal employment is unchanged but there is a substantial earnings reduction. These small compensatory responses are explained by an increased probability that the nondisplaced spouse exits employment, either through correlated unemployment shocks or retirement. Conditional on relative-earner status, sex-based differences in added worker effects are small." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))

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Lee, Sangsoo (2025): Men’s and women’s aversion to female breadwinning: Linking individual attitudes to macro-level contexts. In: Social science research, Jg. 132. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103233

Abstract

"Despite the increased prevalence of female breadwinning (i.e., marriages in which the wife outearns her husband) across the globe, our understanding of individuals’ attitudes toward such relationships remains limited. Using the seventh wave of the World Values Survey, this study examines how macro-level contexts are related to men’s and women’s aversion to female breadwinning. There are four key findings. First, men, on average, exhibit a greater aversion to female breadwinning compared to women. Second, in countries with greater macro-level gender equality, both men and women are less averse to female breadwinning. Third, in countries with higher rates of men’s unemployment, there is a wider gender gap in aversion to female breadwinning. This trend is primarily driven by men’s heightened aversion to female breadwinning in such countries, which suggests men may respond to economic uncertainty by overemphasizing their roles as primary breadwinners to bolster their endangered masculinity. Fourth, in countries with higher levels of economic development, both men and women are less averse to female breadwinning, resulting in a narrower gender gap. This study highlights the importance of linking individual attitudes toward female breadwinning to macro-level contexts." (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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Leshchenko, Olga & Heejung Chung (2025): Telecommuting and division of domestic work: the role of gender role attitudes in Germany. In: European Sociological Review, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcaf046

Abstract

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

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Löwe, Paul Severin (2025): Does a Civil Service Job Matter? The Influence of Civil Service Employment on the Transition to the First and the Second Child for Women and Men in Germany. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, Jg. 77, H. 3, S. 321-354. DOI:10.1007/s11577-025-01017-w

Abstract

"In dieser Studie wird der Einfluss einer Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst im Vergleich zur Privatwirtschaft auf die Übergangsrate zum ersten und zweiten Kind untersucht. Der öffentliche Dienst wird häufig mit einem familienfreundlichen Arbeitsumfeld in Verbindung gebracht, das die Möglichkeit bietet, einen Beitrag zur Lösung des gesellschaftlichen Problems der niedrigen Geburtenrate zu leisten. In anderen europäischen Ländern wurde ein solcher Einfluss nachgewiesen, aber in Deutschland fehlte bisher eine Analyse auf individueller Ebene. Unter Verwendung von Daten aus dem Deutschen Familienpanel (Pairfam) nutzen wir diskrete Ereignisverlaufsmodelle in einer Piecewise-constant-Spezifikation, um den Übergang zum ersten Kind in Abhängigkeit von der Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst oder in der Privatwirtschaft zu berechnen. Wir finden einen inhaltlich bedeutenden und statistisch signifikanten positiven Einfluss der Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst auf den Übergang zum zweiten Kind für Frauen. Für Männer wird ein inhaltlich bedeutender, aber statistisch nicht signifikanter negativer Einfluss auf den Übergang zum zweiten Kind festgestellt. Weder für Frauen noch für Männer lässt sich ein inhaltlich bedeutender oder statistisch signifikanter Einfluss auf den Übergang zum ersten Kind feststellen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst einen Ansatzpunkt zur Beeinflussung der Fertilität, insbesondere nach der Geburt, bietet." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Rafols, Radine (2025): Gender norms and child penalties. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 97. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102770

Abstract

"I study how early gender beliefs shape the labor market consequences of parenthood. Drawing on panel data from the NLSY79, I document sharp and persistent gender gaps in wages, hours, employment, and earnings following childbirth. Mothers with egalitarian norms exhibit stronger labor force attachment and suffer smaller penalties across all outcomes. To understand mechanisms, I demonstrate that gender norms affect decisions that typically correlate with labor market success. A causal mediation analysis reveals that the indirect effect of norm beliefs on fertility explain a sizable share of the gap between modern and traditional mothers, while education, marriage timing, and occupational sorting play more limited roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))

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Rodríguez Hernández, José Enrique (2025): How has the partner influenced the spouse’s employment situation in Spain before and during Covid-19? In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 59. DOI:10.1186/s12651-025-00417-x

Abstract

"This paper addresses issues not previously analyzed by studying the influence that the partner had on the employment situation of the spouse in Spain in the year prior to the health crisis and in the first two years of the pandemic. The results suggest that the recent Covid-19 crisis does not seem to have significantly aggravated the traditional division between paid and domestic work. The results further show significant gender differences and underscore how female employment in Spain has been strongly conditioned by the employment situation of the partner and their relative level of education." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Saxonberg, Steven (2025): Exploring the Alternatives to the Male-Breadwinner Model – The Implications for Social Policy Study. In: Social Policy and Society, Jg. 24, H. 1, S. 6-15. DOI:10.1017/S1474746424000113

Abstract

"This article begins by discussing some of the main approaches that have emerged to gender and family policy, before proceeding to discuss more modern trends. It begins by discussing institutional approaches, such as the male-breadwinner model, defamilialisation, degenderisation. Then it discusses cultural approaches, such as the national ideals of care, gendered moral rationalities, and Hakim’s preference theory. Then this article continues by briefly discussing attempts to broaden the discussion by bringing in children (including through the capabilities approach) and by adding an intersectional perspective." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Shiu, Ji-Liang, Sisi Zhang & Peter Gottschalk (2025): Family Income Dynamics 1970-2018: Putting the Pieces Together. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 43, H. S1, S. S123-S151. DOI:10.1086/732769

Abstract

"This paper examines the driving forces of family income dynamics by developing a unified framework to estimate permanent and transitory variation in head earnings, spouse earnings, and transfer income, as well as permanent and transitory correlations between these income sources. A complete decomposition using the PSID 1970 – 2018 shows that transitory variation in head earnings alone accounts for more than half of the total family income inequality. Insurance against transitory shocks to head earnings comes primarily from transfer income rather than spouse earnings. Both permanent and transitory variations in spouse earnings have an equalizing effect on family income inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Boneva, Teodora, Marta Golin, Katja Kaufmann & Christopher Rauh (2024): Beliefs About Maternal Labor Supply. (CRC TR 224 discussion paper series / EPoS Collaborative Research Center Transregio 224 517), Bonn, 86 S.

Abstract

"We provide representative evidence on the perceived returns to maternal labor supply. A mother's decision to work is perceived to have sizable impacts on child skills, family outcomes, and the mother's future labor market outcomes. Beliefs about the impact of additional household income can account for some, but not all, of the perceived positive effects. Perceived returns are predictive of labor supply intentions under different policy scenarios related to childcare availability and quality, two factors that are also perceived as important. An information experiment reveals that providing information about benefits of mothers working causally affects labor supply intentions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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Coskun, Sena & Husnu C. Dalgic (2024): The emergence of procyclical fertility: The role of breadwinner women. In: Journal of monetary economics, Jg. 142, 2023-10-11. DOI:10.1016/j.jmoneco.2023.10.004

Abstract

"Die Fertilität in den USA weist ein zunehmend prozyklisches Muster auf. Wir argumentieren, dass dieses Muster dem Ernährerstatus von Frauen geschuldet ist: (i) der Anteil der Frauen am gesamten Familieneinkommen ist über die Zeit gestiegen; (ii) Frauen arbeiten mit größerer Wahrscheinlichkeit in relativ stabilen und antizyklischen Branchen, während Männer eher in volatilen und prozyklischen Branchen tätig sind. Dies führt zu einem antizyklischen Einkommensgefälle zwischen den Geschlechtern, da Frauen in Rezessionen zu Ernährerinnen werden, was einen Versicherungseffekt des Fraueneinkommens bewirkt. Unser quantitativer Rahmen besteht aus einem allgemeinen Gleichgewichts-OLG-Modell mit endogener Fertilität und Humankapital. Wir zeigen, dass die Veränderung der Zyklizität der Geschlechterbeschäftigung 38 bis 44 Prozent des Auftretens von prozyklischer Fertilität erklären kann. Unsere kontrafaktische Analyse zeigt, dass in einer Welt, in der Männer Krankenpfleger und Frauen Bauarbeiter werden, eine antizyklische Fertilität zu beobachten sein würde, allerdings auf Kosten einer geringeren Humankapitalakkumulation, da sich die Familien bei der Abwägung zwischen Qualität und Quantität stärker auf die Quantität konzentrieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gihleb, Rania, Osea Giuntella & Luca Stella (2024): Relative income within the household, gender norms, and well-being. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 19. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0306180

Abstract

"This study examines the effects of relative household income on individual well-being, mental health, and physical health in Germany. Consistent with previous studies, we document a dip in the distribution of households in which the wife out-earns the husband. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that husbands in couples in which the wife earns just more exhibit lower satisfaction with life, work, and health, and report worse physical health. Women in these couples report lower satisfaction with life and health, and worse mental health. Results on life, work, and health satisfaction among women are more pronounced in West Germany, consistent with previous evidence of gender norm differences between East and West Germany." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Guner, Nezih, Ezgi Kaya & Virginia Sánchez-Marcos (2024): Labor Market Institutions and Fertility. (HCEO working paper / Human capital and economic opportunity global working group 2024,006), Chicago, Ill., 74 S.

Abstract

"Among high-income countries, fertility rates differ significantly, with some experiencing total fertility rates as low as 1 to 1.3 children per woman. However, the reasons behind low fertility rates are not well understood. We show that uncertainty created by dual labor markets, the coexistence of temporary and open-ended contracts, and the inflexibility of work schedules are crucial to understanding low fertility. Using rich administrative data from the Spanish Social Security records, we document that temporary contracts are associated with a lower probability of first birth. With Time Use data, we also show that women with children are less likely to work in jobs with split-shift schedules. Such jobs have a long break in the middle of the day, and present a concrete example of inflexible work arrangements and fixed time cost of work. We then build a life-cycle model in which married women decide whether to work, how many children to have, and when to have them. Reforms that eliminate duality or split-shift schedules increase women's labor force participation and reduce the employment gap between mothers and non-mothers. They also increase fertility for women who are employed. Reforming these labor market institutions and providing childcare subsidies would increase the completed fertility of married women to 1.8 children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Han, Sinn Won, Ohjae Gowen & Mary C. Brinton (2024): When mothers do it all: gender-role norms, women's employment, and fertility intentions in post-industrial societies. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 309-325. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcad036

Abstract

"Post-industrial countries with high rates of female labour force participation have generally had low fertility rates, but recent studies demonstrate that this is no longer the case. This has generated increased attention to how greater gender equality in the private sphere of the household may contribute to a positive relationship between women’s employment rates and fertility. Building on recent scholarship demonstrating the multidimensionality of gender-role attitudes, we argue that conversely, the prevalence of a gender-role ideology that supports women’s employment but places greater priority on their role as caregivers may depress the higher-order fertility intentions of working mothers. Using data from 25 European countries, we find that this type of gender-role ideology (egalitarian familism) moderates the relationship between mothers’ full-time employment and their intention to have a second child. This holds even after accounting for key features of the policy environment that are likely to mitigate work–family conflict. The analysis suggests that conflicting normative expectations for women’s work and family roles tend to dampen working mothers’ second-order fertility intentions, independent of work–family reconciliation policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kowalewska, Helen & Agnese Vitali (2024): The female-breadwinner well-being 'penalty': differences by men's (un)employment and country. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 293-308. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcad034

Abstract

"This article examines the relationship between female breadwinning and life satisfaction in heterosexual couples. We extend previous research by treating the man’s employment status as a variable that helps to explain rather than confounds this relationship, and by comparing multiple countries through regression analyses of European Social Survey data (Rounds 2–9). Results provide evidence of a female-breadwinner well-being ‘penalty’: men and women are less satisfied with their lives under the female-breadwinner arrangement versus the dual-earner and male-breadwinner alternatives. The penalty is marginal when the male partner is part-time employed but sizeable when he is jobless. However, there are gender differences: after controls for composition, gender-role attitudes, and partners’ relative incomes, the penalty becomes negligible for women while remaining large for men. Analyses suggest these gender differences are linked to high male unemployment among female-breadwinner couples: whereas women appear roughly equally adversely affected by a male partner’s unemployment as by their own, men report substantially higher well-being when she is unemployed instead of him. Country comparisons indicate that while this female-breadwinner well-being penalty is largest in more conservative contexts, especially Germany, it is fairly universal across Europe. So, even in countries where women’s employment is more widespread and cultural and institutional support for the male-breadwinner model is weaker, unemployed men with breadwinner wives are not immune from the social stigma and psychological difficulties associated with their gender non-conformity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Löffler, Verena (2024): The Cost of Fair Pay: How Child Care Work Wages Affect Formal Child Care Hours, Informal Child Care Hours, and Employment Hours. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1205), Berlin, 81 S.

Abstract

"The debate on the effects of child care policies on household and individual behavior is substantial but lacks a discussion of the unintended consequences of rising wages in the child care work sector. To address this gap in the debate, the relation between rising pay and formal child care hours, informal child care hours, and employment hours is analyzed empirically with a case study on child care in Germany between 2012 and 2019. Among other findings, the evidence demonstrates that the consumption of formal child care hours of middle- and high-income households in eastern Germany correlates negatively with child care work wages, indicating price elasticity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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McErlean, Kimberly & Jennifer L. Glass (2024): How Do Households Fare Economically When Mothers Become Their Primary Financial Support? In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 45, H. 2, S. 395-409. DOI:10.1007/s10834-023-09922-y

Abstract

"The economic circumstances in which children grow up have garnered much scholarly attention due to their close associations with well-being over the life course. While it has been well-documented that children are increasingly growing up in households where their primary financial support comes from their mother, regardless of whether she is partnered or single, the consequences for household economic well-being are unclear. We use the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation to quantify how a mother’s transition into primary earner status affects the economic well-being of her household and if the effects differ based on her relationship status. On average, household income declines and more households are unable to meet their economic needs once the mother becomes the primary earner. However, these declines in income are concentrated among partnered-mother households and mothers who transition from partnered to single during the year. At the same time, although many single mothers see an increase in household income, the majority of these households are still unable to meet their economic needs. These findings suggest that the shift to a welfare system that requires employment coupled with structural changes in the labor market have created financial hardship for most families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Sánchez-Mira, Núria (2024): (Un)doing gender in female breadwinner households: Gender relations and structural change. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 31, H. 4, S. 1196-1213. DOI:10.1111/gwao.12775

Abstract

"The paper explores working class couples' experiences of female-breadwinning during the Great Recession in Spain. It examines the extent to which couples' adaptations to these gender-atypical work-family arrangements have led to processes of (un)doing gender. The study is based on the analysis of 24 semi-structured biographical interviews and life history calendars with men and women in 12 heterosexual couples who have gone through different breadwinning statuses during their trajectory. Findings show that men whose partners were primary breadwinners for a period make the greatest effort to preserve the male-breadwinner illusion. In contrast, female breadwinners identify with a co-breadwinner model and do not understate their own economic contribution. Men's insufficient participation in housework and child care is experienced by women with disapproval, which turns into open conflict when the women perform the bulk of such work. The paper concludes that adaptation to unconventional arrangements can constitute a catalyst for processes that undo gender, but more qualitative longitudinal research is needed to determine how economistic and normative factors interact dynamically across different countries and social groups in shaping these processes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Artmann, Elisabeth, Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln & Giulia Giupponi (2023): Forward-Looking Labor Supply Responses to Changes in Pension Wealth. Evidence from Germany. (CESifo working paper 10427), München, 48 S.

Abstract

"We provide new evidence of forward-looking labor supply responses to changes in pension wealth. We exploit a 2014 German reform that increased pension wealth for mothers by an average of 4.4% per child born before January 1, 1992. Using administrative data on the universe of working histories, we implement a difference-in-differences design comparing women who had their first child before versus after January 1, 1992. We document significant reductions in labor earnings, driven by intensive margin responses. Our estimates imply that, on average, an extra euro of pension wealth in a given period reduces unconditional labor earnings by 54 cents." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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Hsu, Chen-Hao (2023): How women's employment instability affects birth transitions: the moderating role of family policies in 27 European countries. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 39, H. 6, S. 935-956. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcad037

Abstract

"Why women in some countries are more likely than others to postpone childbirth when facing employment instability? This study uses 2010–2019 EU-SILC panel data to explore whether the impacts of women’s employment instability, including being unemployed or temporarily employed by fixed-term contracts, on the first- and second-birth transitions differ across 27 European countries and how governments’ provisions of different family policies moderate such relationships. Results showed that while unemployment and temporary employment could generally delay women’s first- and second-birth transition, such effects varied across European countries and depended on the levels of family policy provisions. Countries with more generous family cash benefits were associated with less negative and even positive effects of women’s employment instability on birth transitions. On the other hand, the birth effects of women’s employment instability did not vary significantly across countries according to the length of paid maternity/parental leaves. Most strikingly, countries with higher childcare coverage rates were associated with more negative effects of women’s employment instability on birth transitions. These findings highlight the importance of family policy contexts in shaping women’s childbirth responses to unstable employment circumstances." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Moreno-Mínguez, Almudena, Ángel L. Martín-Román & Alfonso Moral (2023): Father Parental Leave Use in Spain: The Role of the Female Partner Labour Situation. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 1, S. 293-305. DOI:10.1177/09500170211062808

Abstract

"This article presents novel empirical evidence of fathers’ parental leave usage by introducing a family dimension in Spain. To test this hypothesis, a bivariate probit estimation was used to analyse the effect of the mother’s labour force participation on the father’s decision to take parental leave. This procedure allowed us to address the issue of simultaneous factors affecting the decisions of both the man and the woman, which were relevant to interpreting for the phenomenon. The results suggested that successfully using fathers’ paternity leave as a tool to promote gender equality depends on the family household’s characteristics and the woman’s connection to the job market. The bivariate probit estimation revealed that the effect of the woman’s decision on the man’s choice is much stronger than a naive regression would suggest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pollmann-Schult, Matthias (2023): Familie, Erwerbsarbeit, Einkommen. In: O. A. Becker, K. Hank & A. Steinbach (Hrsg.) (2023): Handbuch Familiensoziologie, Wiesbaden, Springer VS S. 675-692. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-35219-6_27

Abstract

"Die familiale Situation hat erhebliche Auswirkungen auf das Erwerbsverhalten von Frauen und kann ebenfalls die Berufstätigkeit von Männern beeinflussen. Der Übergang zur Mutterschaft wirkt sich negativ auf die Erwerbsbeteiligung, den Erwerbsumfang und die Einkommenshöhe von Frauen aus. Bei Männern sind hingegen sowohl positive als auch negative Effekte auf die Arbeitszeit zu beobachten. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt verschiedene Theorieansätze zum Einfluss familialer Übergänge auf das Erwerbsverhalten und skizziert den empirischen Forschungsstand. Dabei wird auch diskutiert, inwiefern Effekte der Elternschaft durch individuelle Merkmale, familienpolitische Rahmenbedingungen und den kulturellen Kontext geprägt werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer)

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Zamberlan, Anna & Paolo Barbieri (2023): A 'potential motherhood' penalty? A longitudinal analysis of the wage gap based on potential fertility in Germany and the United Kingdom. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 39, H. 6, S. 920-934. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcad003

Abstract

"While labour market penalties related to motherhood are a widely studied topic, less is known about the implications of signalled potential fertility. We thus posed the question of whether potential fertility—operationalized as the likelihood that a childless woman will transition to motherhood depending on observed sociodemographic characteristics—is associated with a wage penalty and—if so—what the drivers of this wage gap are. We further tested theory-driven hypotheses about heterogeneity across institutional contexts (i.e. in Germany and the United Kingdom) and socio-economic classes. In so doing, we relied on SOEP, BHPS, and UKHLS panel data to construct a synthetic measure of potential fertility over the period from 1991 to 2017. We first explored the overall association between potential fertility and wages and found a wage gap to the disadvantage of potential mothers in both contexts, albeit with non-negligible heterogeneity across time and socio-economic classes. Subsequently, we selected the top and bottom quartiles of the distribution of potential fertility and performed a 2-fold decomposition of the wage differential between potential mothers and women who are less likely to transition to motherhood. The observed wage gap can mostly be explained by compositional differences in observed characteristics between the two groups of women, thereby leaving little room for explanations based on employer discrimination." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ahrens, Regina (2022): Familien- und Vereinbarkeitspolitik in Deutschland. Eine Einführung. (Elemente der Politik), Wiesbaden: Imprint: Springer VS, XIX, 199 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-37149-4

Abstract

"Dieses Lehrbuch gibt einen fundierten Einblick in das Politikfeld Familienpolitik. Es zeichnet die historischen Entwicklungen in Deutschland nach und zeigt politikfeldanalytische Erklärungen auf. Das Lehrbuch ermöglicht damit auch ein Verständnis der aktuellen familienpolitischen Diskurse. Es richtet sich vornehmlich an Studierende im Bachelor und Master, aber auch an Praktikerinnen und Praktiker, die sich aufgrund von neuen beruflichen Aufgaben in die Grundzüge der Familienpolitik in Deutschland einlesen möchten. Das Buch enthält ergänzendes Online-Material. Die Autorin Dr. Regina Ahrens ist Politikwissenschaftlerin und vertritt an der Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt die Professur „Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit Schwerpunkt Personal und Marketing“. Daneben ist sie Lehrbeauftragte am Institut für Politikwissenschaft der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster und berät Unternehmen und Privatpersonen zum Thema Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie." (Verlagsangaben)

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Belloc, Ignacio, José Alberto Molina & Jorge Velilla (2022): How does intrahousehold bargaining power impact labor supply? European cross-country evidence (2004-2019). (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1132), Essen, 35 S.

Abstract

"This paper analyzes how intrahousehold bargaining power impacts labor supply, for seventeen European countries. To that end, we estimate a collective model using the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions for the period 2004-2019, and we study the validity of several potential distribution factors; that is to say, variables that impact labor supply only through intrahousehold bargaining power. Results show some degree of heterogeneity in the responses of labor supply to intrahousehold bargaining power. Spouses' education and the age gap operate as distribution factors in central European countries, such as Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. On the other hand, in the Mediterranean South countries, the share of unearned income of the wife operates as a distribution factor in Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and in countries of Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania), the sex ratio, wives' non-labor income share, spouses' age and education gap, and the fertility rate all operate as distribution factors. In northern economies, such as Denmark and Estonia, we find evidence for share of unearned income, age gap, and fertility rate, while in islands, such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, the sex ratio, the share of unearned income, the age and education gap, and the fertility rate are suitable bargaining power variables. The results are consistent with theoretical sharing rules, and distribution factors that empower a given spouse are mainly positively correlated with increases in the share of income they attract from intrahousehold bargaining." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brehmer, Wolfram, Christina Klenner & Tanja Schmidt (2022): Was macht Frauen in Deutschland zu Familienernährerinnen. (WSI-Report 70), Düsseldorf, 28 S.

Abstract

"Das Spektrum der Arrangements, in denen sich Paare Erwerbs- und Fürsorgearbeit teilen, wandelt sich. Jeder zehnte (Erwerbs-)Paarhaushalt in Deutschland hat eine weibliche Haupteinkommensbezieherin. Dabei liegt der Anteil in Westdeutschland deutlich niedriger als in Ostdeutschland. Dieser Report geht mit Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels der Frage nach, was dazu führt, dass Frauen den größten Teil des Haushaltseinkommens erwirtschaften und somit Familienernährerinnen werden. Werden Frauen zu Familienernährerinnen, weil Paare auf der Basis ihrer Einstellungen und nicht-traditionellen Geschlechterrollenorientierungen ein solches Arrangement wählen? Oder führen andere Umstände zu Familienernährerinnen-Konstellationen? Unsere Analysen zeigen: Viel spricht dafür, dass die Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise 2008/09 die Tendenz zu Familienernährerinnen-Haushalten verstärkt hat. Dort, wo Frauen die Familienernährerinnen sind, steht das häufig mit Arbeitslosigkeit oder atypischer Beschäftigung des Mannes im Zusammenhang und von 2007 an wurde die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Familienernährerinnen-Haushalte von Jahr zu Jahr signifikant größer. Für den Einfluss der Wirtschaftskrise - wie sich die Coronakrise auswirkt, ist bisher nicht klar - spricht auch, dass Familienernährerinnen-Haushalte überdurchschnittlich häufig arm sind oder armutsnah leben. In vielen Fällen müssen Familienernährerinnen auch mit unterer beruflicher Stellung, in Teilzeit und mit entsprechend niedrigen Einkünften die Familie ernähren. Dass Familienernährerinnen-Konstellationen auf bewusst gewählten Strategien der Paare beruhen, lässt sich anhand der verfügbaren Daten nicht bestätigen. Allerdings haben Frauen, die Familienernährerinnen sind, häufiger egalitäre Einstellungen. Sie haben auch häufiger eine hohe Bildung, eine hohe berufliche Stellung und sind überdurchschnittlich in Vollzeit, in Großbetrieben und im öffentlichen Dienst tätig. Das heißt, dass berufliche Positionen von Frauen mit guten Einkommenschancen also ebenfalls das Überwiegen des weiblichen Einkommensanteils begünstigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gerber, Christine (2022): Gender and precarity in platform work: Old inequalities in the new world of work. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 37, H. 2, S. 206-230. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12233

Abstract

"Platform work creates a work model that is both a curse and a blessing for vulnerable labour market segments. Based on research on female precarity, the article expects that remote platform work—so-called crowdwork—could especially attract women who need to combine income and care responsibilities. This article investigates whether women experience more precarity on crowdwork platforms than men, and why their risks differ. It analyses data from a quantitative survey with crowdworkers in Germany and the United States. The results indicate higher precarity risks for women due to care work, which are also indirectly mediated via the employment status. The higher commodification of labour and weaker social infrastructure lead to generally greater precarity risks for platform workers in the United States. The high differences between women and men in Germany underline the gendered nature of labour market dualization and precarization as well as the traditional division of housework. Policy measures should address both platform work and these structural inequalities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Keldenich, Carina & Andreas Knabe (2022): Women's labor market responses to their partners' unemployment and low-pay employment. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 43, H. 1, S. 134-162. DOI:10.1007/s12122-022-09327-0

Abstract

"Using bivariate random-effects probit estimation on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel we show that women respond to their partners' unemployment with an increase in labor market participation, which also leads to an increase in their employment probability. Our analysis considers within and between effects separately, revealing differences in the relationships between women's labor market statuses and their partners' unemployment in the previous period (within effect) and their partners' overall probability of being unemployed (between effect). Furthermore, we contribute to the literature by demonstrating that a partner's employment in a low-paid job has an effect on women's labor market choices and outcomes similar to that of his unemployment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Morgenroth, Nicolas, Brigitte Schels & Nils Teichler (2022): Are men or women more unsettled by fixed-term contracts? Gender differences in affective job insecurity and the role of household context and labour market position. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 560-574., 2021-11-15. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcab060

Abstract

"This study investigates differences in the causal effect of fixed-term contracts on affective job insecurity by gender and household context in Germany. Research shows that workers in fixed-term employment are more unsettled about their job security than are permanent employees. We contribute to the literature on subjective job insecurity by explicitly modelling the causal effect of fixed-term employment and by examining how women and men differ in this effect. We argue that gender differences in the labour market positions and a gendered division of labour in the household account for gender differences in the subjective vulnerability to fixed-term employment. We apply linear fixed effect probability models based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) with a sample of employees aged between 20 and 45 years. Results show that a fixed-term contract doubles the probability of big job worries compared to a permanent contract. Women are substantially more unsettled by fixed-term contracts than men across all household types. These gender differences cannot be explained by unfavourable labour market positions of women. Fixed-term employment thus seems to add to existing gender inequalities on the labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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Aaronson, Daniel, Rajeev Dehejia, Andrew Jordan, Cristian Pop-Eleches, Cyrus Samii & Karl Schulze (2021): The effect of fertility on mothers' labor supply over the last two centuries. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 131, H. 633, S. 1-32. DOI:10.1093/ej/ueaa100

Abstract

"Using a compiled data set of 441 censuses and surveys from between 1787 and 2015, representing 103 countries and 51.4 million mothers, we find that: (i) the effect of fertility on labour supply is typically indistinguishable from zero at low levels of development and large and negative at higher levels of development, (ii) the negative gradient is stable across historical and contemporary data, and (iii) the results are robust to identification strategies, model specification, and data construction and scaling. Our results are consistent with changes in the sectoral and occupational structure of female jobs and a standard labour–leisure model." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Almås, Ingvild, Charlotte Ringdal & Ingrid Hoem Sjursen (2021): Understanding inequality within households. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 961), Essen, 31 S.

Abstract

"To describe and understand the economic inequality in a given society, it is necessary to understand intra-household inequality. House- holds can hide important inequalities, but can also be essential units for redistribution in society. This paper gives an overview of within- household distributions in different settings, both between the adults and also between adults and children. It documents that there are substantial inequalities within households in some contexts and that these often, but not always, disfavor women and children. The paper also discusses the importance of intra-household allocations for poverty and inequality measurement. Methods that assign each household member a per-adult share of household consumption leads to underestimation of inequalities and miss-classification of poverty. In comparison, structural models seem to do better in predicting individual poverty when disaggregated data on allocation within households are not available. Main determinants of power in household decision-making are also discussed, and relatedly, so are two important policy questions: Are targeted transfers to women good for female empowerment? And, are targeted transfers to mothers good for child outcomes? The empirical evidence is clearly pointing to targeting being beneficial for female empowerment, but the evidence is less clear when it comes to child outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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Behera, Sarthak & Divya Sadana (2021): Differing Labor Supply: A Study on the Role of Culture. (MPRA paper / University Library of Munich 110753), München, 41 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, we study the role of peoples' attitudes on their labor market behavior. Focusing within a household, we estimate how one's labor market decisions are dependent on their partner's labor market outcomes, and how these decisions are driven by their culture component. Historically, man has been associated as the primary earner in a family. We argue that culture might play a role in determining a person's labor market outcomes as it induces an aversion to the situation of when the wife earns more than the husband. We find that husbands increase their participation in the labor market if their wives earn more and this effect is even more prominent if they are from a country where people have the traditional view that man should be the primary bread-winner for the family. However, wives do not exhibit any such behavior. We argue that this irregularity is explained by the role that culture plays on forming labor market decisions. This result is important as it might contribute to the explanation of the slowdown in the convergence of the gender gap in the recent past." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bloemen, Hans (2021): Labor Market Transitions of Members of Opposite-Sex Couples: Nonparticipation, Unemployed Search, and Employment. (IZA discussion paper 14673), Bonn, 74 S.

Abstract

"An empirical analysis of labor market transitions for spouses in couples is implemented. Object of study are transitions between the states of nonparticipation, unemployed search, and employment. Motivated by a model of household search, the emphasis is on spousal variables and interactions. Additionally, a proxy for the business cycle is included in the analysis, and household specific unobserved heterogeneity is accounted for. Results show that female transitions into nonparticipation (both out of unemployed search and employment) are positively affected by the husband's income (while no effect is found for transitions out of nonparticipation). Men seem to move from employment into unemployed search easier the higher is the wife's income. Since the wife having an income is in turn strongly accociated with female participation, this suggests that households with a participating wife are better able to deal with unemployment of the husband. A supplementary analysis with reservation wages and numbers of applications points in the same direction. Husbands' reservation wages are only sensitive to his own unemployment income if the wife is nonparticipating. This implies that unemployment benefits have a different role in households with the husband as a sole earner compared to dual earner households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Clark, Andrew E., Conchita D'Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur (2021): Marriage as insurance: job protection and job insecurity in France. (CEP discussion paper 1778), London, 41 S.

Abstract

"Job insecurity is one of the risks that workers face on the labour market. As with any risk, individuals can choose to insure against it. We here consider marriage as a way of insuring against labour-market risk. The 1999 rise in the French Delalande tax, paid by large private firms when they laid off workers aged 50 or over, led to an exogenous rise in job insecurity for the uncovered (younger workers) in the affected firms. A difference-in-differences analysis using French panel data reveals that this greater job insecurity for the under-50s led to a significant rise in their probability of marriage, and especially when the partner had greater job security, consistent with marriage providing insurance against labour-market risk." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fernández-Kranz, Daniel & Jennifer Louise Roff (2021): The Effect of Alimony Reform on Married Women's Labor Supply: Evidence from the American Time Use Survey. (IZA discussion paper 14949), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"Reforms that reduce alimony can affect married couples in two different ways. First, reduced alimony lowers the bargaining power of the payee, usually the wife. Second, reduced alimony lowers the incentives of wives to engage in the traditional male breadwinner model of household specialization. Using the American Time Use Survey and exploiting a series of recent reforms in several US states that reduced the entitlements of eligible spouses, we find that wives surprised by the reforms reacted by moving away from the traditional male breadwinner model of household specialization. We also find that highly educated women substituted work for time devoted to housework and childcare, while less educated wives substituted work for leisure and personal time. We find no effects for men. The fact that the reforms reduced fertility only among women with higher education suggests that the difference between them and less educated wives in the response to reduced alimony is due, at least in part, to differences in their preferences and costs for children. The estimated effects are larger among couples with a large difference in the earnings potential of spouses and are robust to several sensitivity tests." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Grunow, Daniela & Torsten Lietzmann (2021): Women's employment transitions: The influence of her, his, and joint gender ideologies. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 45, S. 55-86., 2021-05-19. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2021.45.3

Abstract

"Research suggests that women’s employment decisions are influenced by not only their own gender ideologies but also their partners’. This paper is the first study examining the role of a couple’s joint gender ideology on the female partner’s employment transitions, specifically her work hours and employment breaks. The authors seek to advance research on the effects of gender ideologies on paid work transitions conceptually, arguing that a couple’s (dis)agreement on gender ideologies may be important. The authors use data from the German panel study Labour Market and Social Security (PASS) and logistic regression models estimating the probability of reducing work hours or taking an employment break between two successive panel waves. Women’s gender ideologies impact their likelihood of reducing work hours and taking an employment break. The more egalitarian women are, the less likely they are to reduce their labor market participation. The male partner’s gender ideology initially appears irrelevant. However, when considering the couple as a unit, the authors find a couple effect of joint ideology: Women are more likely to reduce their work hours when both partners believe in gender essentialism as opposed to other couple-ideology constellations. For women’s employment breaks, findings also point to a couple-ideology effect, though with less statistical certainty. The couple perspective shows that his gender ideology matters only in relation to hers. Introducing the couple perspective reveals that individual ideology measures provide a skewed picture of how gender ideologies actually work in couples to influence the gender division of paid work." (Author's abstract, © 1999–2021 Max Planck Society) ((en))

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Haupt, Andreas, Susanne Strauss & Anna-Theresa Saile (2021): Long-term Trends in the Gender Income Gap within Couples. West Germany, 1978–2011. (SocArXiv papers), 38 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/jm4ug

Abstract

"Over the past 50 years, women in Western societies have increased their level of education and their participation in the labour market. Nevertheless, they continue to contribute significantly less to a couple’s income than their male partners. Here, we ask how the gender income gap within couples has changed over the past decades and in which groups it has decreased or increased. We synthesize streams of argumentation regarding the sources of changes in the gap into one broad perspective on the changing opportunities available to coupled women to convert their income potential into actual income contributions, and how this relates to the income trends of their male counterparts. Using German Microcensus data, we show that West German women contributed 16.5% to couples’ income in 1978 and had increased their contribution to 30.1% by 2011. Our decompositions reveal that women contributed to this mostly by changes in composition, namely due to being more highly educated and working longer hours. Women contributed very little due to increased income returns. Income trends of non-working women are a notable exception. In contrast, men contributed to the trend with changes in income returns. Their higher education and full-time premiums have been a strong counter to the overall trend." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Landaud, Fanny (2021): From employment to engagement? Stable jobs, temporary jobs, and cohabiting relationships. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 73. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102077

Abstract

"Family formation has been substantially delayed in recent decades, and birth rates have fallen below the replacement rates in many OECD countries. Research suggests that these trends are tightly linked to recent changes in the labor market; however, little is known about the role played by increases in job insecurity. In this paper, I investigate whether the type of employment, stable or temporary, affects the timing of cohabitation and fertility. Using French data on the work and family history of large samples of young adults, I provide evidence that being permanently employed has a much stronger effect than being in temporary employment on the probability of entering a first cohabiting relationship as well as on the probability of having a first child. These findings suggest that increases in age at first cohabitation and at first child can partly be explained by the rise in unemployment and in the share of temporary jobs among young workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

Abstract

Der Expertisenband versammelt die Expertisen für den neunten Familienbericht "Eltern sein in Deutschland - Ansprüche, Anforderungen und Angebote bei wachsender Vielfalt". Wie auch bei vorangegangenen Berichten war der Entstehungsprozess des Berichts nicht nur von intensiven kommissionsinternen Diskussionen geprägt, es wurde auch auf Fachkenntnisse externer Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler zurückgegriffen. Die Kommission hat beschlossen, die Expertisen als Online-Publikation einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen. (IAB-Doku)

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Schmidt, Jörg & Oliver Stettes (2021): Wer macht was? Zum Einfluss von Entgeltunterschieden auf die Aufgabenteilung in Paarhaushalten. In: IW-Trends, Jg. 48, H. 1, S. 61-77. DOI:10.2373/1864-810X.21-01-04

Abstract

"Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss von Entgeltdifferenzen in Paarhaushalten auf das zeitliche Engagement der Partner im Beruf und im Haushalt. Bei einer geschlechterbezogenen Aufgabenteilung wird untersucht, inwieweit Frauen und Männer sich im Vergleich zu ihren Partnern zeitlich im Haushalt und Beruf engagieren. Der durchschnittliche Rückstand des Bruttostundenlohns der Frau zu dem ihres Partners liegt bei 16,3 Prozent, wenn die Aufgabenteilung eher traditionell erfolgt. Ihr Lohnvorsprung beträgt durchschnittlich 6,6 Prozent, wenn eine eher antitraditionelle Aufgabenteilung vorliegt. Eine positive Altersdifferenz zwischen dem Mann und der Frau sowie die Existenz von Kindern begünstigen ein eher traditionelles Spezialisierungsmuster. Im Rahmen einer ökonomisch motivierten Aufgabenteilung wird analysiert, inwieweit das Haushaltsmitglied mit dem höheren Bruttostundenlohn mehr Zeit im Beruf und/oder weniger Zeit im Haushalt einsetzt als das andere. Wo ein ökonomisches Kalkül dem Spezialisierungsmuster zugrunde liegt, beträgt der Verdienstrückstand der Frau gegenüber ihrem Partner durchschnittlich 25,8 Prozent. Ökonometrische Schätzungen zeigen, dass vorhandene Lohnunterschiede zwischen beiden Partnern eine ökonomisch motivierte Spezialisierung begünstigen. Da Frauen im Durchschnitt geringere Bruttostundenlöhne aufweisen als ihre Partner, geht eine ökonomisch geprägte Aufgabenteilung zugleich häufig mit einer geschlechtsbezogenen Aufgabenteilung einher. Wirtschaftliche Überlegungen eines Paares können daher ein eher traditionelles Arbeitsteilungsarrangement verfestigen, das bereits vor der Geburt des ersten Kindes getroffen wurde." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Wikle, Jocelyn & Riley Wilson (2021): Access to Head Start and Maternal Labor Supply: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Evidence. (IZA discussion paper 14880), Bonn, 89 S.

Abstract

"We explore how access to Head Start impacts maternal labor supply. By relaxing child care constraints, public preschool options like Head Start might lead mothers to reallocate time between employment, child care, and other activities. Using the 1990s enrollment and funding expansions and the 2002 Head Start Impact Study randomized control trial, we show that Head Start increases short-run employment and wage earnings of single mothers. The increase in labor supply does not appear to reduce quality parent-child interactions. Viewing Head Start as a bundle of family-level treatments can shed new light on the impacts of the program beyond children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

d'Albis, Hippolyte, Karina Doorley & Elena Stancanelli (2021): Older mothers' employment and marriage stability when the nest is empty. (PSE working paper / Paris School of Economics 2021-24), Paris, 29 S.

Abstract

"A significant literature in the social sciences addresses the impact of child-bearing and rearing on marital stability and on mothers' labour market outcomes. Much less is known about older mothers' employment and marriage patterns when the adult children leave the parental nest. This study aims to shed light on these issues using longitudinal labour force data for France. Exploiting retirement laws for identification purposes, and taking a regression discontinuity approach, we find that older women's retirement probability is positively associated with an empty nest. We also conclude that an empty nest is negatively associated with older mothers' marriage probability. There is scope for better targeting of both family and retirement policies for older mothers during those critical years when adult children leave the parental nest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Blömer, Maximilian & Andreas Peichl (2020): Für wen lohnt sich Arbeit? Partizipationsbelastungen im deutschen Steuer-, Abgaben- und Transfersystem. Gütersloh, 34 S. DOI:10.11586/2020074

Abstract

"Die gegenwärtige Corona-Pandemie hat die Schwächen des deutschen Arbeitsmarkts deutlich vor Augen geführt. Gerade geringfügig Beschäftigte sind besonders hart von Arbeitsplatzverlusten betroffen, da sie keinen Anspruch auf Arbeitslosengeld haben und auch kein Kurzarbeitergeld erhalten. Vor allem für viele Haushalte mit niedrigem Einkommen ist damit in der aktuellen Krise ein erheblicher Teil des verfügbaren Einkommens weggebrochen. Dabei erweisen sich die besonderen Regelungen für Minijobs nicht erst jetzt als Hemmschuh für substanzielle, nachhaltige Beschäftigung. Neben fehlender sozialer Absicherung leiden Minijobber:innen unter mangelnden Weiterbildungs- und Entwicklungschancen und arbeiten häufig in niedrig entlohnten Tätigkeiten. Auf der Haben-Seite steht aus Sicht der Beschäftigten einzig die Steuer- und Abgabenfreiheit, das bekannte „brutto gleich netto“. Doch dieser kurzfristige Vorteil erweist sich allzu oft als Bumerang. Denn das Zusammenwirken im deutschen Steuer-, Abgaben- und Transfersystem trägt dazu bei, dass viele Frauen und Mütter sowie zahlreiche Beschäftigte insbesondere im Niedriglohnsektor in Kleinstjobs, geringfügiger Beschäftigung oder Teilzeit mit niedriger Stundenzahl gefangen sind – ein Mehr an Arbeit lohnt sich finanziell häufig nicht. Doch wie sehen die Anreizwirkungen auf das Arbeitsangebot für verschiedene Haushaltskonstellationen konkret aus, die sich durch das Zusammenspiel aus Steuern, Abgaben und Transferentzug ergeben? Diese Frage steht im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Studie. Die Analyse nimmt dabei die sogenannte Partizipationsbelastung in den Blick, die aufzeigt, wie viel Prozent des gesamten individuellen Bruttoeinkommens bei der Aufnahme einer Erwerbstätigkeit als Steuern und Abgaben sowie durch Transferentzug vom Staat einbehalten werden. Damit beantwortet die Studie die Frage, für wen sich Arbeit lohnt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Boelmann, Barbara, Anna Raute & Uta Schönberg (2020): Wind of Change? Cultural Determinants of Maternal Labor Supply. (IAB-Discussion Paper 30/2020), Nürnberg, 51 S.

Abstract

"Werden die Arbeitsmarktentscheidungen von Müttern von der Kultur beeinflusst, in der die Frauen aufgewachsen sind? Und wie wirkt sich das aktuelle soziale Umfeld auf das Arbeitsangebot von Müttern aus? Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, vergleichen wir ost- und westdeutsche Frauen im Kontext der deutschen Wiedervereinigung. Im sozialistischen Osten wurde die Vollzeiterwerbstätigkeit von Müttern forciert, während in Westdeutschland das traditionelle Modell des männlichen Hauptverdieners verbreitet war. Nach der Wiedervereinigung wurden beide Kulturen plötzlich miteinander konfrontiert und dieser Austausch wurde durch die darauffolgenden Migrations- und Pendlerströme weiter verstärkt. Vergleicht man ost- und westdeutsche Mütter entlang der ehemaligen innerdeutschen Grenze innerhalb desselben grenzüberschreitenden lokalen Arbeitsmarktes, zeigt sich, dass Kultur für deren Arbeitsmarktentscheidungen eine entscheidende Rolle spielt. Selbst 20 Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung kehren ostdeutsche Mütter früher in ihren Beruf zurück und arbeiten mehr Stunden als westdeutsche Mütter. In einem zweiten Schritt betrachten wir ost- und westdeutsche Migrantinnen im jeweils anderen Landesteil und zeigen, dass die ost- und westdeutsche Kindheitskultur unterschiedlich persistent ist. Während ostdeutsche Migrantinnen früher nach der Geburt ihres Kindes in den Beruf zurückkehren und auch mehr Stunden arbeiten als ihre westdeutschen Kolleginnen selbst wenn sie schon lange in der traditionelleren westdeutschen Kultur gelebt haben, passen sich westdeutsche Migrantinnen in ihrem Arbeitsangebot nach der Geburt fast komplett ihren ostdeutschen Kolleginnen an. In einem letzten Schritt nutzen wir aus, dass westdeutsche Firmen unterschiedlich stark von Migrationsströmen von Ost nach West betroffen waren und finden, dass westdeutsche Frauen selbst in ihrem eigenen kulturellen Umfeld durch den Kontakt zu ostdeutschen Frauen ihr Verhalten ändern und früher nach der Geburt ihres Kindes in den Beruf zurückkehren. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass Migration ein Katalysator für kulturellen Wandel sein kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Bähr, Holger, Corinna Frodermann, Michaela Fuchs, Torsten Lietzmann, Anja Rossen & Cordula Zabel (2020): Frauen müssen mitunter höhere Hürden überwinden, um aus der Grundsicherung heraus eine Arbeit aufzunehmen. In: IAB-Forum H. 20.03.2020, o.Sz., 2020-03-10.

Abstract

"Frauen beziehen im Schnitt länger Leistungen aus der Grundsicherung als Männer. Das liegt auch daran, dass sie sich schwerer tun, eine bedarfsdeckende Erwerbsarbeit zu finden. So bietet der Arbeitsmarkt vor Ort Frauen und Männern zum Teil unterschiedlich gute Beschäftigungschancen. Hinzu kommt, dass sich Frauen häufiger um die Betreuung von Kindern oder um die Pflege von Angehörigen kümmern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Carlson, Matthew W. & Jason D. Hans (2020): Maximizing benefits and minimizing impacts: Dual-earner couples' perceived division of household labor decision-making process. In: Journal of family studies, Jg. 26, H. 2, S. 208-225. DOI:10.1080/13229400.2017.1367712

Abstract

"Researchers have thoroughly documented the various factors that influence couples' division of household labor. Although numerous approaches have been taken to explain these factors that influence the division of household labor, perceptions of the decision-making process of dividing household labor within a marriage is seldom considered and is therefore the focus of this study. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 heterosexual, dual-earner couples. Data were analyzed with grounded theory methodology. Findings included that couples viewed themselves as first attempting to divide household labor in ways that they perceived as being the most beneficial for them as a couple. When issues arose with a particular task or arrangement, or with the division of labor more generally, they made adjustments intended to minimize the negative impact of those issues. Findings are contextualized within the major theories surrounding quantitative data on household labor (i.e. time availability, relative resources, and gender ideology perspectives). Implications for family researchers, educators, and practitioners are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Fleche, Sarah, Anthony Lepinteur & Nattavudh Powdthavee (2020): Gender norms, fairness and relative working hours within households. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 65. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101866

Abstract

"Using data in the United States, UK and Germany, we show that women whose working hours exceed those of their male partners report lower life satisfaction on average. By contrast, men do not report lower life satisfaction from working more hours than their female partners. An analysis of possible mechanisms shows that in couples where the woman works more hours than the man, women do not spend significantly less time doing household chores. Women with egalitarian ideologies are likely to perceive this unequal division of labour as unfair, ultimately reducing their life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2020 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Grewenig, Elisabeth, Philipp Lergetporer & Katharina Werner (2020): Gender Norms and Labor-Supply Expectations: Experimental Evidence from Adolescents. (Discussion paper / Rationality & Competition, CCR TRR 190 259), München ; Berlin, 75 S.

Abstract

"Gender gaps in labor-market outcomes often emerge with the arrival of the first child. We investigate a causal link between gender norms and labor-supply expectations within a survey experiment among 2,000 German adolescents. Using a hypothetical scenario, we document that the majority of girls expects to work 20 hours or less per week when having a young child, and expects from their partner to work 30 hours or more. Randomized treatments that highlight the existing traditional norm towards mothers significantly reduce girls' self-expected labor supply and thereby increase the expected gender difference in labor supply between their partners and themselves (the expected within-family gender gap). Treatment effects persist in a follow-up survey two weeks later, and extend to incentivized outcomes. In a second experiment, we highlight another, more gender-egalitarian, norm towards shared household responsibilities and show that this attenuates the expected within-family gender gap. Our results suggest that social norms play an important role in shaping gender gaps in labor-market outcomes around child birth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kim, Younga & Ester Rizzi (2020): Who does not intend to retire? Mothers' opportunity costs and compensation at later ages in Europe. In: Ageing and society, Jg. 40, H. 10, S. 2128-2154. DOI:10.1017/S0144686X19000503

Abstract

"Research investigating the association between women's work - family trajectories and their retirement intentions is limited. Studies considering how different institutional conditions affect this association are even more limited. To fill this gap, we use the first three waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, 2004 - 2009, and apply two-level random effects models with country-level fixed effects to a sample of mothers aged 50 - 64 years. Our dependent variable is the intention to retire as early as possible. We found that the following two different mechanisms are associated with mothers' early retirement intentions: (a) strategies to compensate for opportunity costs and (b) work attachment. When all other factors are equal, mothers with a work career characterised by interruptions and part-time work intend to work longer than other mothers, indicating the need to compensate for lower lifelong earnings at older ages. Some compensatory strategies are also observed among mothers who are classified as 'never married', 'divorced' or 'widowed', who wish to continue their careers. In other cases, evidence supporting work attachment mechanisms is found; for instance, working when the youngest child is younger than six years predicts the intention to delay retirement. These results change according to the welfare regime, underlining the importance of family policies and pension benefits to counterbalance the effect of opportunity costs on mothers' earnings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lang, Volker & Martin Groß (2020): The just gender pay gap in Germany revisited: The male breadwinner model and regional differences in gender-specific role ascriptions. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 65. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2020.100473

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McMunn, Anne, Lauren Bird, Elizabeth Webb & Amanda Sacker (2020): Gender divisions of paid and unpaid work in contemporary UK couples. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 155-173. DOI:10.1177/0950017019862153

Abstract

"This article uses data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study to describe how contemporary British couples divide a range of work types. Our findings support the hypothesis, suggested by previous authors, that a shared egalitarian ideology is required for gender equality in divisions of work. In response to bargaining theories, the article also hypothesises that differentials in educational attainment within couples are more strongly associated with gender divisions of work when a couple's gender ideology is in conflict. Interaction analysis does not support this hypothesis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brinton, Mary C. & Eunsil Oh (2019): Babies, work, or both? Highly educated women's employment and fertility in East Asia. In: American Journal of Sociology, Jg. 125, H. 1, S. 105-140. DOI:10.1086/704369

Abstract

"Highly educated women's likelihood of combining childrearing with continuous employment over the life course has increased among recent U.S. cohorts. This trend is less evident in many postindustrial countries characterized by very low fertility. Among such countries, Japan and Korea have exceptionally low proportions of women who remain employed after having children, despite aggressive government policies designed to encourage this. We draw on over 160 in-depth interviews with highly educated Japanese and Korean men and women of childbearing age to uncover the central incompatibilities between married women's employment and childrearing. Individuals' narratives reveal how labor market structure and workplace norms contribute to a highly gendered household division of labor, leading many married women to either forsake employment or to consider having only one child." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cao, Yuan (2019): Fertility and labor supply: evidence from the One-Child Policy in China. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 51, H. 9, S. 889-910. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2018.1502868

Abstract

"This study provides new evidence on on the causal effect of fertility on maternal labor supply in rural China, using the fact that in some parts of rural China couples are allowed to have a second child if their firstborn is female. Estimates show that a second child reduces maternal labor force participation by 4.6 percentage points, labor supply intensity (hours worked conditional on employment) by 1.4 h per week and monthly income by 54.5 Chinese Yuan (18.7 percent). Further, the labor supply of mothers whose husbands are rural-to-urban migrants is the most sensitive to having an additional child, likely because they have more difficulty balancing farming and childcare. Conversely, labor supply is not reduced by fertility for mothers living in three-generation families, most likely because grandparents can provide both time and money to help with childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Conroy, Tessa (2019): The kids are alright: working women, schedule flexibility and childcare. In: Regional Studies. Journal of the Regional Studies Association, Jg. 53, H. 2, S. 261-271. DOI:10.1080/00343404.2018.1462478

Abstract

"This paper tests the effects of children and childcare on women's employment and entrepreneurial outcomes at the county level for the United States. Given that policies and economic development strategies are often implemented across local and regional jurisdictions, this regional study contributes to the literature by considering access to childcare in relation to locally aggregated female labour market outcomes by sector. The results, which address potential endogeneity, indicate that young children and childcare affect female employment differently depending on the sector. The results are consistent with women choosing the public sector and self-employment over the private sector to accommodate the demands of childrearing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Foster, Gigi & Leslie S. Stratton (2019): What women want (their men to do): Housework and Satisfaction in Australian Households. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 25, H. 3, S. 23-47. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2019.1609692

Abstract

"The time allocated to household chores is substantial, with the burden falling disproportionately upon women. Social norms about how much housework men and women should do are likely to influence couples' housework allocation decisions and satisfaction. Using Australian data spanning 2001 - 14, this study employs a two-stage estimation procedure to examine how deviations from housework norms relate to couples' satisfaction. The study finds that satisfaction is negatively affected by predicted housework time and that women's satisfaction, but not men's, is robustly affected by their partners' residual housework time. When he exceeds housework norms, she is happier with housework allocations, but less happy in broader dimensions. The study suggests several reasons for the results, including that housework is more salient in women's lives than in men's, that housework generally is not a preferred activity, and that some degree of gender-norm conformity in regard to housework can positively affect women's life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Giménez-Nadal, J. Ignacio, Lucia Mangiavacchi & Luca Piccoli (2019): Keeping inequality at home: The genesis of gender roles in housework. In: Labour economics, Jg. 58, H. June, S. 52-68. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2019.03.006

Abstract

"This article studies how gender role attitudes are transmitted from parents to their children by examining the intrahousehold division of housework time. The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) is used to analyse the time devoted by parents to housework during their children's late childhood or adolescence and that of the same children once they marry. The results suggest that a greater proportion of housework performed by mothers during childhood is related to a persistence in gender inequality in their children's future families. These gender norms are perpetuated directly to sons through a lower amount of housework performed and indirectly to daughters through the choice of a partner that replicates her father role model. An analysis of the possible transmission mechanisms proposed by the literature suggests a prominent role of the parental role model, according to which children tend to reproduce the situation they experienced during childhood. These findings shed light on the persistence of parental behaviour across generations, underlining the key role of fathers, and contribute to the debate about how gender inequality is transmitted over time." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Köppen, Katja & Heike Trappe (2019): The gendered division of labor and its perceived fairness. Implications for childbearing in Germany. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 40, S. 1413-1440. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.48

Abstract

"Background: Recently it has been claimed that gender equality and gender equity in the family tend to increase fertility. The strength of this association, however, depends on prevailing gender relations and the level of social support of employment and family within a society.
Objective: We wish to improve our understanding of the relationship between gender equality, gender equity, and fertility by investigating the impact of the actual division of paid and unpaid labor on first- and second-birth fertility in Germany while including in our analyses a repeatedly measured indicator of gender equity that captures the subjective perception of fairness of this division.
Methods: Using nine waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), we apply discrete-time logistic regression models to cohorts of young women and men in coresidential unions to determine whether a birth occurs in a given year while using measures of gender equality and gender equity as lagged time-varying covariates.
Results: We find that an arrangement in which the woman is in charge of routine housework and the division of paid and unpaid work is perceived as fair is positively associated with family formation. The perception of a fair division of work is no prerequisite for continued childbearing. Yet women's responsibility for domestic work facilitates family extension.
Contribution: This paper extends the literature on the relationship between gender equality, gender equity, and family outcomes by using prospective panel data to capture attitudinal and behavioral changes over the life course more fully than has previously been done." (Author's abstract, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Manchester, Colleen Flaherty, Lisa M. Leslie & Patricia C. Dahm (2019): Bringing home the bacon: The relationships among breadwinner role, performance, and pay. In: Industrial relations, Jg. 58, H. 1, S. 46-85. DOI:10.1111/irel.12225

Abstract

"We evaluate the relationships among breadwinner role, performance, and pay. Differences in pay are present despite limited differences in performance. We find a pay premium for primary-breadwinner employees across gender, yet a pay penalty for secondary-breadwinners employees only for women, suggesting an asymmetric relationship among breadwinner role, gender, and pay." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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McGinn, Kathleen L., Mayra Ruiz Castro & Elizabeth Long Lingo (2019): Learning from mum: Cross-national evidence linking maternal employment and adult children's outcomes. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 33, H. 3, S. 374-400. DOI:10.1177/0950017018760167

Abstract

"Analyses relying on two international surveys from over 100,000 men and women across 29 countries explore the relationship between maternal employment and adult daughters' and sons' employment and domestic outcomes. In the employment sphere, adult daughters, but not sons, of employed mothers are more likely to be employed and, if employed, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility, work more hours and earn higher incomes than their peers whose mothers were not employed. In the domestic sphere, sons raised by employed mothers spend more time caring for family members and daughters spend less time on housework. Analyses provide evidence for two mechanisms: gender attitudes and social learning. Finally, findings show contextual influences at the family and societal levels: family-of-origin social class moderates effects of maternal employment and childhood exposure to female employment within society can substitute for the influence of maternal employment on daughters and reinforce its influence on sons." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nikolova, Milena & Sinem H. Ayhan (2019): Your spouse is fired! How much do you care? In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 799-844. DOI:10.1007/s00148-018-0693-0

Abstract

"This study is the first to provide a causal estimate of the cross-spouse subjective well-being consequences of unemployment. Using German panel data on married and cohabiting partners for 1991–2015 and information on exogenous unemployment entry due to workplace closure, we show that one spouse’s unemployment experience reduces the life satisfaction of the other partner. The estimated spillover is at least one quarter of the effect of own unemployment and is equally pronounced among female and male partners. In addition, while wives’ life satisfaction does not recover even two years after their partners becoming unemployed, husbands only react to their wives’ joblessness during the first year of unemployment. Our results are insensitive to income controls and the couple’s position in the income distribution, thus reflecting the non-pecuniary costs of unemployment. Although the income loss hardly explains the negative spillover effects of unemployment on spousal life satisfaction, we document large declines in spousal satisfaction with household income and living standards. This finding supports the argument that the costs of unemployment borne by indirectly affected spouses extend beyond the loss of consumption opportunities and might be rather related to social values attached to market work. Being robust to a battery of sensitivity checks, our findings imply that public policy programs aimed at mitigating unemployment’s negative consequences need to target not only those directly affected but also cohabiting spouses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Samtleben, Claire, Clara Schäper & Katharina Wrohlich (2019): Elterngeld und Elterngeld Plus. Nutzung durch Väter gestiegen, Aufteilung zwischen Müttern und Vätern aber noch sehr ungleich. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 86, H. 35, S. 607-613.

Abstract

"Seit Einführung des Elterngeldes im Jahr 2007 gehen - ausgehend von einem extrem niedrigen Niveau - immer mehr Väter in Elternzeit. Im Vergleich zu Müttern ist das jedoch nach wie vor deutlich seltener der Fall und wenn, dann ist der Umfang der Elternzeit bei Vätern relativ kurz. Seit im Jahr 2015 das Elterngeld Plus eingeführt wurde, kombinieren zwar mehr Mütter und auch Väter die Elternzeit mit einer Teilzeiterwerbstätigkeit - der absolute Anteil von Vätern, die Elternzeit nehmen, ist zumindest kurzfristig aber nicht weiter gestiegen. Als wichtigstes Motiv gegen den Bezug von Elterngeld werden von Vätern finanzielle Gründe angegeben. Auch die Sorge vor negativen beruflichen Konsequenzen wird häufig genannt. Diese beiden Punkte könnten von der Politik zum einen durch ein Anheben der Lohnersatzrate im unteren Einkommensbereich und zum anderen durch bessere Informationen über die zu erwartenden Auswirkungen von Elternzeit auf die zukünftigen Löhne und beruflichen Karrieren von Müttern und Vätern adressiert werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schober, Pia S. & Gundula Zoch (2019): Change in the gender division of domestic work after mummy or daddy took leave. An examination of alternative explanations. In: European Societies, Jg. 21, H. 1, S. 158-180. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2018.1465989

Abstract

"This study investigates how the durations of childcare leaves taken by mothers and fathers in Germany relate to the gender division of housework and childcare after labour market return. It examines to what extent changes in economic resources because of leave take-up may account for adaptations in the division of domestic work of dual-earner couples. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1992-2012) on about 800 couples with a first or second birth, we applied OLS regression models with lagged dependent variables. The results suggested that dual-earner couples where mothers took longer leaves experienced a greater shift towards a gender-traditional division of domestic labour after childbirth. Fathers' leave take-up was associated with a more equal division of family work. Lower relative earnings, e.g. as a result of changes in job-related skills after the leave, did not account for the shift in the gender division of family work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Welteke, Clara & Katharina Wrohlich (2019): Peer effects in parental leave decisions. In: Labour economics, Jg. 57, H. April, S. 146-163. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2019.02.008

Abstract

"We analyze whether mothers' parental leave decisions depend on their coworkers' decisions. The identification of peer effects bears various challenges due to correlated characteristics within social groups. We therefore exploit quasi-random variation in the costs of parental leave induced by a policy reform in Germany. The reform encourages mothers to remain at home during the first year following childbirth. Administrative linked employer- employee data enable us to assign a peer group to individuals who work in the same establishment and occupation. Our results suggest that parental leave decisions are significantly influenced by coworkers' decisions." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Zannella, Marina & Alessandra De Rose (2019): Stability and change in family time transfers and workload inequality in Italian couples. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 40, S. 49-60. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.3

Abstract

"Objective: This article analyses changes from 2003 to 2014 in the magnitude and directions of family time (i.e., non-market) transfers and in the gender distribution of total work among Italian couples.
Methods: The study draws on microdata from the 2003, 2009, and 2014 Italian Time Use Surveys. First, we follow the National Transfer Accounts methodology to estimate gender-specific age profiles of production and consumption of unpaid domestic work and of the related time transfers within families. Then, we focus on couples and build an indicator of workload inequality. Finally, we perform a multivariate statistical analysis to describe the characteristics of the partners associated with gender inequality in the division of work disfavouring women.
Results: Female non-market work decreased by an average of 36 minutes per day during the 2003 - 2014 period. However, women continue to be net donors of time transfers within the family and to perform the bulk of the work within the couple. Households where both partners do not work in the market or where only the woman has a market job show the highest levels of inequality, with women contributing to about 70% of the couples' total working time.
Contribution: This study sheds light on the provision of informal welfare within Italian families by illustrating, with an age- and gender-specific focus, the recent evolution of time transfers. It also contributes to the literature on the gender division of work both by introducing a new indicator of the workload inequality between partners, and by providing further evidence of the persistency of gender asymmetries in Italian couples." (Author's abstract, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Barglowski, Karolina & Paula Pustulka (2018): Tightening early childcare choices - gender and social class inequalities among Polish mothers in Germany and the UK. In: Comparative Migration Studies, Jg. 6, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1186/s40878-018-0102-6

Abstract

"Care for young children continues to highly influence the life chances of men and women, even more so when they are migrants. For migrant women, childcare remains a particular challenge when their kin are absent and the gendered norms of work and family life abroad diverge from what they have known in the country of origin. This article contributes to a deeper understanding of social class and childcare strategies of migrant women by combining two research projects with migrants from Poland to Germany and the UK. Accounts represented in this article depict the ways in which migrant mothers interpret and use the available childcare options, thereby highlighting how class-based resources are deployed and reproduced in two different welfare regimes. The comparative approach pursued in the article reveals that it is neither class nor national context that has a capacity to determine early childcare choices on its own. Instead, it is an intricate interplay of social protections' availability, gender norms and social class, which together engender various childcare strategies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bartels, Charlotte & Cortnie Shupe (2018): Drivers of participation elasticities across Europe. Gender or earner role within the household? (IZA discussion paper 11359), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"We compute participation tax rates across the EU and find that work disincentives inherent in tax-benefit systems largely depend on household composition and the individual's earner role within the household. We then estimate participation elasticities using an IV Group estimator that enables us to investigate the responsiveness of individuals to work incentives. We contribute to the literature on heterogeneous elasticities by providing estimates for different socioeconomic groups by country, gender and earner role within the household. Our results show an average elasticity of 0.08 for men and of 0.14 for women as well as a high degree of heterogeneity across countries. The commonly cited difference in elasticities between men and women stems predominantly from the earner role of the individual within the household and nearly disappears once we control for this factor." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Binder, Ariel J. & David Lam (2018): Is there a male breadwinner norm? The hazards of inferring preferences from marriage market outcomes. (IZA discussion paper 11693), Bonn, 49 S.

Abstract

"Spousal characteristics such as age, height, and earnings are often used in social science research to infer social preferences. For example, a 'male taller' norm has been inferred from the fact that fewer wives are taller than their husbands than would occur with random matching. The large proportion of husbands out-earning their wives has similarly been cited as evidence for a 'male breadwinner' norm. This paper argues that it is difficult and potentially misleading to infer social preferences about an attribute from observed marital sorting on that attribute. We show that positive assortative matching on an attribute is consistent with a wide variety of underlying preferences, including 'female taller' or 'female breadwinner' norms. Given prevailing gender gaps in height and earnings, positive sorting implies it will be rare for women to be taller than, or earn more than, their husbands - even if there is no underlying preference for shorter or lowerearning wives. In an empirical application, we show that simulations which sort couples positively on permanent earnings can largely replicate the observed distribution of spousal earnings differences in US Census data. Further, we show that an apparent sharp drop in the distribution function at the point where the wife begins to out-earn the husband results from a mass of couples earning identical incomes, a mass which we argue is not evidence of a norm for higher-earning husbands." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Borah, Melanie, Andreas Knabe & Kevin Pahlke (2018): Parental time restrictions and the cost of children. Insights from a survey among mothers. (CESifo working paper 7321), München, 33 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, we provide estimates of the subjectively perceived cost of children depending on the extent of parental time restrictions. Building on a study by Koulovatianos et al. (2009) that introduces a novel way of using subjective income evaluation data for such estimations, we conduct a refined version of the underlying survey, focusing on young women with children in Germany. Our study confirms that the monetary cost of children is substantial and increases with parental nonmarket time restrictions. The loss in the material living standard associated with supplying time to the labor market is sizeable for families with children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cai, Lixin (2018): Dynamic labour supply of married Australian women. In: Labour, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 427-450. DOI:10.1111/labr.12122

Abstract

"Using the first 13 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, this study investigates the determinants of labour supply of married Australian women, with a focus on whether and to what extent there is state dependence in their labour supply. It is found that both observed and unobserved individual heterogeneity contribute to the observed inter-temporal persistence of married Australian women's labour supply, but the persistence remains even after controlling for these factors. It is also found that non-labour income, age, education, health and the number and age of young dependent children have significant effects on married Australian women's labour supply." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Choi, Sekyu & Arnau Valladares-Esteban (2018): The marriage unemployment gap. In: The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, Jg. 18, H. 1, S. 1-14. DOI:10.1515/bejm-2016-0060

Abstract

"In this paper we document that married individuals face a lower unemployment rate than their single counterparts. We refer to this phenomenon as the marriage unemployment gap. Despite dramatic demographic changes in the labor market over the last decades, this gap has been remarkably stable both for men and women. Using a flow-decomposition exercise, we assess which transition probabilities (across labor force states) are behind this phenomenon: For men, the main driver is the higher job losing probabilities faced by single workers. For females, the participation margin also plays a crucial role." (Author's abstract, © De Gruyter) ((en))

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Day, Creina (2018): Inverse J effect of economic growth on fertility. A model of gender wages and maternal time substitution. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 39, H. 4, S. 577-587. DOI:10.1007/s10834-018-9578-3

Abstract

"This paper presented a model where economic growth, via growth in female wages relative to male wages, encouraged households to raise paid female labor supply and have more children by substituting child care for maternal time. A threshold logarithm per capita output, above which fertility decline reverses, was predicted to depend on subsidized child care, maternity pay, and the value placed on children and maternal time spent rearing children. The predictions explained recent evidence and identified cross country differences in gender wages, family policy and willingness to substitute maternal time in childrearing as important factors in an inverse J-shaped effect of economic growth on fertility. The analysis was robust to the introduction of education and cost sharing among children in child rearing. Economies of scale in child rearing reduced the threshold logarithm of per capita output. Demand for child quality continued to rise with wages despite fertility decline reversal." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Depew, Briggs & Joseph Price (2018): Marriage and the economic status of women with children. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 16, H. 4, S. 1049-1061. DOI:10.1007/s11150-017-9395-8

Abstract

"Marriage is positively correlated with income, and women with children are much less likely to be in poverty if they are married. Selection into marriage makes it difficult to assess whether these correlations represent a causal effect of marriage. One instrument for marriage proposed in past research is the gender of a woman's first child. We find that women who have a boy first are about 0.33 percentage points more likely to be married at any point in time. This effect operates through both increasing the probability that unmarried mothers marry the child's father and reducing the probability of divorce. We also find that women whose first child is a boy experience higher levels of family income and are less likely to receive welfare income, be below the poverty line, and receive food stamps. Estimates using child gender as an instrumental variable for marriage suggest that marriage plays a large causal role in improving the economic well-being of women with children and that these effects are largest among women at the lower end of the income distribution." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Foster, Gigi & Leslie S. Stratton (2018): Does female breadwinning make partnerships less healthy or less stable? (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 259), Maastricht, 13 S.

Abstract

"This paper addresses the directions to follow when designing new educational systems and school-lo-work transition regimes to adhere to the needs of Industry 4. 0. Although a high level of general education will be important for its training content to develop adaptability, it is not the only component to develop. What will be more and more important are work related skills, both the general ones and the ones which are job-specific and need, therefore, on-the-job training to develop. This will require important educational reforms to favour an ever-better integration between educational institution and the world of work. Young people and their families alone will not be able to adapt on their own to the new human capital requirements of industry 4.0 productions. A new framework for an integrated action by governments, firms, educational institutions and families is needed to smooth the school-to-work in the future. The duality principle is the basis for a strong diversification of the supply of education." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frejka, Tomas, Frances Goldscheider & Trude Lappegård (2018): The two-part gender revolution, women's second shift and changing cohort fertility. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 43, S. 99-130. DOI:10.12765/CPoS-2018-09en

Abstract

"The two parts of the gender revolution have been evolving side by side at least since the 1960s. The first part, women's entry into the public sphere, proceeded faster than the second part, men's entry into the private sphere. Consequently, many employed mothers have carried a greater burden of paid and unpaid family support than fathers throughout the second half of the 20th century. This constituted women's 'second shift,' depressing fertility. A central focus of this paper is to establish second shift trends during the second half of the 20th century and their effects on fertility. Our analyses are based on data on cohort fertility, male and female labor force participation, and male and female domestic hours worked from 11 countries in Northern Europe, Western/central Europe, Southern Europe, and North America between 1960/70 and 2000/2014. We find that the gender revolution had not generated a turnaround, i.e. an increase in cohort fertility, by the end of the 20th century. Nevertheless, wherever the gender revolution has made progress in reducing women's second shift, cohort fertility declined the least; where the second shift is large and/or has not been reduced, cohort fertility has declined the most." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gärtner, Debora & Lena Reinschmidt (2018): Abkehr vom Zuverdiener-Modell - aber wohin? Gleichstellungspolitische Zielsetzungen und Anforderungen an Vereinbarkeitspolitik. Europäisches Fachgespräch am 1./2. Oktober 2018 in Berlin. Frankfurt am Main, 77 S.

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Hipp, Lena (2018): Damned if you do, damned if you don't? Experimental evidence on hiring discrimination against parents with differing lengths of family leave. (SocArXiv Papers), 37 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/qsm4x

Abstract

"Trotz vieler Veränderungen in den letzten Jahren erfahren Mütter in Deutschland noch immer große Nachteile auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. In einem Experiment hat Lena Hipp, Leiterin der Nachwuchsgruppe Arbeit und Fürsorge, mit ihrem Team jetzt untersucht, ob sich eine veränderte Aufteilung von Kinderbetreuung positiv auf die Erwerbschancen von Müttern auswirkt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das nicht unbedingt der Fall ist. Mütter mit lediglich zwei Monaten Elternzeit werden deutlich seltener zum Vorstellungsgespräch eingeladen als Frauen, die ein Jahr Elternzeit genommen haben. Bei den Vätern dagegen spielt die Dauer der Elternzeit keine Rolle." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hu, Yang & Deniz Yucel (2018): What Fairness? Gendered Division of Housework and Family Life Satisfaction across 30 Countries. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. 92-105. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcx085

Abstract

"This article sheds new light on the role played by perceived fairness in configuring the relationship between gendered housework division and women's family life satisfaction across 30 countries. This is achieved by distinguishing and comparing two major dimensions of women's fairness comparison -- inter-gender relational comparison between partners and intra-gender referential comparison with other women from the same society. Analysing data from the 2012 International Social Survey Programme, we find that women's family life satisfaction is adversely affected by both a lack of relational fairness and unfavourable referential comparison, which operate independently of each other. Supporting the 'self-serving' theory, women are found to rely more on one dimension of fairness comparison to assess their family life satisfaction when they compare unfavourably rather than favourably in the other dimension. Country-level gender equality positively predicts the strength of the association between relational fairness and family life satisfaction. However, it does not seem to moderate the influence of referential comparison on family life satisfaction. In light of these results, scholars are urged to consider the perceived fairness of housework division as a plural construct, and to promulgate gender equality in multiple dimensions -- addressing not just inter-gender (in)equity but also intra-gender (in)equality -- to move the gender revolution forward." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Keller, Wolfgang & Hâle Utar (2018): Globalization, gender, and the family. (NBER working paper 25247), Cambrige, Mass., 96 S. DOI:10.3386/w25247

Abstract

"This paper shows that globalization has far-reaching implications for the economy's fertility rate and family structure because they influence work-life balance. Employing population register data on new births, marriages, and divorces together with employer-employee linked data for Denmark, we show that lower labor market opportunities due to Chinese import competition lead to a shift towards family, with more parental leave taking and higher fertility as well as more marriages and fewer divorces. This pro-family, pro-child shift is driven largely by women, not men. Correspondingly, the negative earnings implications of the rising import competition are concentrated on women, and gender earnings inequality increases. We show that the choice of market versus family is a major determinant of worker adjustment costs to labor market shocks. While older workers respond to the shock rather similarly whether female or not, for young workers the fertility response takes away the adjustment advantage they typically have - if the worker is a woman. We find that the female biological clock - women have difficulties to conceive beyond their early forties - is central for the gender differential, rather than the composition of jobs and workplaces, as well as other potential causes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kornstad, Tom & Marit Rønsen (2018): Women's wages and fertility revisited evidence from Norway. In: European Journal of Population, Jg. 34, H. 4, S. 491-518. DOI:10.1007/s10680-017-9435-3

Abstract

"The prediction of New Home Economics of a negative effect of female wages on fertility has been tested in a number of studies, but the results are far from unanimous. This article contributes with new evidence based on registry data covering all Norwegian women born in 1955-1974 and a simultaneous hazard model of transitions to first, second and third birth. We find a U-shaped relationship between wages and the log hazard for all cohorts, however, varying in strength and across parity. In transitions to first birth, most women are likely to be on the downward slope of the curve, implying that the wage effect is mainly negative. In transitions to second and third birth, most women are likely to be on the upward slope of the curve, where the wage effect is positive. The results are not very sensitive to the omission of education and income of the spouse." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Kreyenfeld, Michaela & Anja Vatterrott (2018): Salmon migration and fertility in East Germany. An analysis of birth dynamics around German reunification. In: Zeitschrift für Familienforschung, Jg. 30, H. 3, S. 247-266. DOI:10.3224/zff.v30i3.02

Abstract

"In diesem Beitrag werden die Registerdaten der deutschen Rentenversicherung verwendet, um die Übergänge zum ersten Kind und das 'Spacing' weiterer Kinder in der Zeit nach der Wiedervereinigung zu beschreiben. Wir untersuchen dabei das Geburtenverhalten von ostdeutschen und westdeutschen sowie jenen Frauen, die zwischen den beiden Landesteilen migriert sind. Da in den Rentenregistern monatsgenaue Angaben zum Wohnort enthalten sind, erlauben sie es den Zusammenhang von räumlicher Mobilität und Geburtenverhalten zu analysieren. Insbesondere untersuchen wir die 'Salmon Hypothesis' (Lachshypothese), der zufolge Geburten bis zur Rückkehr der Migrantinnen in ihre Herkunftsregion aufgeschoben werden. Unsere Analysen zeigen, dass ein erheblicher Teil der ostdeutschen Frauen der Geburtsjahrgänge 1965-74 nach Westdeutschland migrierte, jedoch bis zum Alter 40 etwa 50% von ihnen nach Ostdeutschland zurückgekehrt sind. Die Erstgeburtenraten der Rückkehrerinnen sind erhöht, was darauf hinweist, dass die 'Salmon Hypothesis' das Verhalten eines großen Teils der Ost-West-Migrantinnen beschreiben kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lubotsky, Darren & Javaeria A. Qureshi (2018): Assessing the smooth rise in mothers' employment as children age. In: Journal of Human Capital, Jg. 12, H. 4, S. 604-639. DOI:10.1086/700077

Abstract

"We study the trajectory of maternal employment as children age and assess the factors underlying the smooth increase in mothers' employment as their youngest child ages. Our results indicate that the rising employment profile is largely not associated with falling child care costs, changes in nonlabor income, or marital dissolution as children age. Differences in educational attainment and wage opportunities are related to some of the increase in employment when children are under 4 years old but do not explain any after that age. We discuss explanations for the rising pattern of mothers' employment that might be consistent with our results." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maestas, Nicole (2018): The return to work and women's employment decisions. (NBER working paper 24429), Cambrige, Mass., 40 S. DOI:10.3386/w24429

Abstract

"It is well documented that individuals in couples tend to retire around the same time. But because women tend to marry older men, this means many married women retire at younger ages than their husbands. This fact is somewhat at odds with lifecycle theory that suggests women might otherwise retire at later ages than men because they have longer life expectancies, and often have had shorter careers on account of childrearing. As a result, the opportunity cost of retirement - in terms of foregone potential earnings and accruals to Social Security wealth - may be larger for married women than for their husbands. Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I find evidence that the returns to additional work beyond mid-life are greater for married women than for married men. The potential gain in Social Security wealth alone is enough to place married women on nearly equal footing with married men in terms of Social Security wealth at age 70." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Majbouri, Mahdi (2018): Twins, family size, and female labor force participation in Iran. (IZA discussion paper 11638), Bonn, 27 S.

Abstract

"Despite the remarkable increase in women's education levels and the rapid fall of their fertility rate in Iran, female labor force participation (FLFP) has remained low. Using the instrumental variable method, this paper estimates the causal impact of number of children on mothers' participation in the labor market. It finds that having an extra (unplanned) child would only reduce female participation rate for low educated mothers and mothers with young children, thus having no causal impact on most mothers' participation. This result explains why the rapid decline in fertility rates did not increase female participation; rather, other factors should be at play. It hence moves us a step forward in explaining the puzzle of female labor force participation in Iran. Policy implications are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Meliou, Elina & Tim Edwards (2018): Relational practices and reflexivity: Exploring the responses of women entrepreneurs to changing household dynamics. In: International Small Business Journal, Jg. 36, H. 2, S. 149-168. DOI:10.1177/0266242617724858

Abstract

"This qualitative study explores how and why women, positioned as mothers, wives, or carers, navigate changing household dynamics, related to care and reproductive resources, and become entrepreneurial. Drawing on relational reflexivity, we show how women's embodied, intimate relations with important others in the household form the focal point for entrepreneurial activities and offer evidence of their entrepreneurial agency. Our analysis reveals the emergence of three relational practices that result in a new venture as the entrepreneurial response of women. We critically evaluate normative analyses on gender, entrepreneurship, and household." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nitsche, Natalie & Daniel Grunow (2018): Do economic resources play a role in bargaining child care in couples? Parental investment in cases of matching and mismatching gender ideologies in Germany. In: European Societies, Jg. 20, H. 5, S. 785-815. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2018.1473626

Abstract

"This paper examines the factors associated with a gendered division of childcare among parents in Germany. While much is known on the gender division of housework in families and the economic and sociological factors that may be driving it, we still know relatively little about whether and how these factors may affect the division of unpaid childcare in families. We first assess the relevance of partner's combined gender ideologies and relative resources on the division of unpaid childcare. Second, we assess whether the effect of economic resources may be contingent on the partners' agreement or disagreement on gender ideologies concerning maternal employment. We address these questions using data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) and MLM Growth Curve Models. Our findings consistently show a significant positive effect of partners' combined gender ideologies and her share of income on his share of childcare. These effects are strongest, and robust, among couples with matching ideologies supporting maternal employment, which we term 'egalitarian island' couples. Economically efficient divisions of childcare thus appear dependent upon the couples' ideological pairing and on mothers' ideologies towards maternal employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Park, Seonyoung (2018): A structural explanation of recent changes in life-cycle labor supply and fertility behavior of married women in the United States. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 102, H. February, S. 129-168. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.11.006

Abstract

"This study documents and explains important changes in the life-cycle labor supply and fertility behavior of married women in the United States from the 1950s to more recent cohorts. The younger cohorts, relative to the 1950s, supply more labor at earlier stages of the life-cycle, delay motherhood to later stages without reducing the fertility rate, and upon childbearing, show a greater tendency to stay out of the labor force. In a life-cycle model for married couples in which a household makes decisions on fertility as well as labor supply, consumption, and savings, all the behavioral changes are jointly and quantitatively explained by a combination of changes in various labor supply/fertility determinants, with the increased returns (penalties) to work (non-work) experience being the dominant contributor. The results survive a series of robustness tests, including endogenizing education choice and assortative marriage." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Elsevier) ((en))

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Qian, Yue (2018): Educational Assortative Mating and Income Dynamics in Couples. A Longitudinal Dyadic Perspective. In: Journal of Marriage and Family, Jg. 80, H. 3, S. 607-621. DOI:10.1111/jomf.12470

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Roth, Anja & Michaela Slotwinski (2018): Gender norms and income misreporting within households. (CESifo working paper 7298), München, 30 S.

Abstract

"We revisit the prominent finding that women's incomes are disproportionally often observed just below the income of their partner. So far, this bunching has been explained by couple formation or couples' labor market decisions. We propose an additional mechanism: income misreporting in surveys. Drawing on survey and administrative data, we show that income misreporting accounts for the discontinuity in the distribution of women's relative incomes just below the point where a woman outearns her partner. This misreporting is best explained by the role of gender norms in individuals' self-portrayals and self-perception." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schmidt, Eva-Maria (2018): Breadwinning as care? The meaning of paid work in mothers' and fathers' constructions of parenting. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 21, H. 4, S. 445-462. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2017.1318112

Abstract

"As some scholars have argued for a distinct conceptualisation of breadwinning and for understanding breadwinning as a form of care, this study addresses parents' constructions of breadwinning and its connections to care. It is based on an in-depth interpretive analysis of multiple-perspective, qualitative longitudinal interviews with 22 Austrian mothers and fathers from three points in time during their transition to parenthood. The analysis revealed four different types of breadwinning concepts by considering the jointly constructed meaning of mothers' and fathers' paid work within a parental couple and further relied on Tronto's [(1993). Moral boundaries. A political argument for an ethic of care. New York, NY: Routledge] conceptualisation of care as a four-step process. The results indicate that respondents construct a clear difference between earning money and breadwinning. Additionally, a difference is made between breadwinning and taking care of the family's subsistence, predominantly so for mothers. In conclusion, breadwinning can definitely be considered a form of care and thus a form of involvement in parenting, but it cannot be regarded a form of involvement in caregiving. The holistic picture of parents' joint constructions enabled us to contribute to the existing conceptualisations of breadwinning and of parental involvement, thus providing a novel perspective on matters of gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))