Female breadwinner – Erwerbsentscheidungen von Frauen im Haushaltskontext
Nach wie vor ist die ungleiche Verteilung von Erwerbs- und Familienarbeit zwischen den Partnern der Regelfall. Traditionelle familiäre Arrangements werden dabei durch institutionelle Rahmenbedingungen bevorzugt. Die Folge ist, dass Frauen immer noch beruflich zurückstecken - auch wenn sie den Hauptteil des Haushaltseinkommens erarbeiten und damit die Rolle der Familienernährerin übernehmen.
Dieses Themendossier widmet sich den Bedingungen und Auswirkungen der Erwerbsentscheidung von Frauen sowie empirischen Studien, die sich mit der Arbeitsteilung der Partner im Haushaltskontext befassen.
Mit dem Filter „Autorenschaft“ können Sie auf IAB-(Mit-)Autorenschaft eingrenzen.
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Literaturhinweis
His and hers earnings trajectories: Economic homogamy and long-term earnings inequality within and between different-sex couples (2024)
Zitatform
Dunatchik, Allison (2024): His and hers earnings trajectories: Economic homogamy and long-term earnings inequality within and between different-sex couples. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 94. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100995
Abstract
"Economic homogamy has important implications for gender inequality and for economic inequalities between households. However, the long-term association between spouses’ earnings is not well understood. This study reconceptualizes economic homogamy as a life course process rather than a static state of being that can be adequately captured at a single point in time. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, I examine the association between spouses’ earnings trajectories over the course of 30 years of marriage to identify three distinct gender egalitarian earnings patterns among couples. 50 % of couples follow a Dual earner pattern, in which spouses follow similar, stable earnings patterns over time, 6 % of couples are Jointly mobile in that spouses’ earnings vary similarly and 5 % follow an Alternating earner pattern. A large minority of couples follow patterns of long-term specialization, with 34 % of couples following male breadwinner patterns and 5 % following Female breadwinner patterns. Multivariate analysis reveals that gender egalitarian earnings patterns are stratified by couples’ socio-economic status at marriage: while advantaged couples follow Dual earner patterns comprised of two stable earners, disadvantaged couples follow egalitarian earnings patterns characterized by joint earnings instability. By taking a long-term approach, this study provides insight into the varied ways gender equality in earnings manifests among married couples and reveals an important and understudied dimension of economic homogamy: the concentration of economic stability and instability within couples." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Male and female selection effects on gender wage gaps in three countries (2024)
Elass, Kenza;Zitatform
Elass, Kenza (2024): Male and female selection effects on gender wage gaps in three countries. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 87. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102506
Abstract
"A vast literature on gender wage gaps has examined the importance of selection into employment. However, most analyses have focused only on female labor force participation and gaps at the median. The Great Recession questions this approach because of the major shift in male employment that it implied. This paper uses the methodology proposed by Arellano and Bonhomme (2017) to estimate a quantile selection model over the period 2007–2018. Using a tax and benefit microsimulation model, I compute an instrument capturing both male and female decisions to participate in the labor market: the potential out-of-work income. Since my instrument is crucially determined by the welfare state, I consider three countries with notably different benefit systems – the UK, France and Finland. My results imply different selection patterns across countries and a sizeable male selection in France and the UK. Correction for selection bias lowers the gender wage gap and reveals a substantial glass ceiling with different magnitudes. Findings suggest that disparities between these countries are driven by occupational segregation and public spending on families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Changing Fertility and Heterogeneous Motherhood Effects: Revisiting the Effects of a Parental Benefits Reform (2024)
Zitatform
Fitzenberger, Bernd & Arnim Seidlitz (2024): Changing Fertility and Heterogeneous Motherhood Effects: Revisiting the Effects of a Parental Benefits Reform. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16966), Bonn, 54 S.
Abstract
"Using a semiparametric event study approach with a control group, we estimate the effect of motherhood on labor market outcomes in Germany, the child penalty. We further investigate how the 2007 parental benefits reform changed the child penalty while accounting for fertility effects. A large novel data set linking data from two administrative sources provides information on all births. Our estimation approach accounts for motherhood being a staggered treatment. The reform has small positive medium-run effects employment outcomes. It changes the selection into fertility and shows heterogeneous effects. However, the reform did little to reduce the average child penalty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Ähnliche Treffer
auch erschienen als: IAB-Discussion Paper, 08/2024 -
Literaturhinweis
The intergenerational correlation of employment: Mothers as role models? (2024)
Zitatform
Galassi, Gabriela, David Koll & Lukas Mayr (2024): The intergenerational correlation of employment: Mothers as role models? In: Labour Economics, Jg. 90. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102596
Abstract
"Linking data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and the NLSY79 Children and Young Adults, we document a substantial positive correlation of employment status between mothers and their offspring in the United States. After controlling for ability, education, fertility and wealth, offspring of permanently employed mothers have an 11 percentage-point higher probability to be employed in each given year than those of never employed mothers. The intergenerational transmission of maternal employment is stronger to daughters but significant also to sons. Investigating potential mechanisms, we provide suggestive evidence for a role model channel, through which labor force participation may be transmitted. Offspring seem to emulate the example of their mother when they observe her working. By contrast, we are able to rule out alternative candidate explanations such as network effects, occupation-specific human capital and local conditions of the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
A Cohort Replacement of Household Labour Supply in Germany and the UK (2024)
Zitatform
Geffen, Rona (2024): A Cohort Replacement of Household Labour Supply in Germany and the UK. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 49, S. 467-492. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2024-18
Abstract
"In recent decades, fluctuating unemployment rates and welfare state retrenchment have led to increased levels of economic insecurity in some countries. At the same time, cultural norms and family policies have become more gender-egalitarian. While earlier research related these trends to the decline in the male breadwinner model, little is known about whether recent cohorts who entered adult life against the backdrop of a new socio-economic opportunity structure have established new configurations of household labour supply. Using sequence analysis and cluster analyses across harmonised longitudinal data (GSOEP, BHPS and Understanding Society) for a sample of adults born between 1961 and 1973 in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK), this study introduces an innovative indicator of household labour supply types and new descriptive findings on the cohort replacement of household labour supply in these two countries. Descriptive findings show that recent cohorts in both Germany and the UK are forming more gender-egalitarian households, as reflected by the decline in the male breadwinner model as well as by the rise of 1.5-male breadwinner households in Germany and dual-earner households in the UK. However, the proportion of single and low labour intensity households in recent cohorts has declined in the UK, while there has been no meaningful change in East Germany and a strong increase in West Germany. The evolution of household labour supply types can be attributed to the replacement of cohorts who entered adulthood and established their households under shifting socio-economic contexts and gender ideologies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Relative income within the household, gender norms, and well-being (2024)
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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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Literaturhinweis
Labor Market Institutions and Fertility (2024)
Zitatform
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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Literaturhinweis
When mothers do it all: gender-role norms, women's employment, and fertility intentions in post-industrial societies (2024)
Zitatform
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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Literaturhinweis
Spousal Labor Supply: Decoupling Gender Norms and Earning Status (2024)
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Isaac, Elliott (2024): Spousal Labor Supply: Decoupling Gender Norms and Earning Status. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17354), Bonn, 49 S.
Abstract
"Many household labor supply models divide couples by sex and identify separate male and female labor supply parameters. However, institutional factors in the labor market suggest that men are more likely to be primary earners in their household, meaning that intra-household gender gaps in labor supply may reflect both gender norms and earning status. I use a novel identification approach to disentangle the role of gender norms in intra-household labor supply by estimating collective labor supply models for different- and same-sex married couples. Among childless couples, I present point estimates and construct unified bounds showing that gender norms significantly increase the weight placed on women's utility by 1.1–5.1%, leading to lower labor supply. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the effect of gender norms on married, childless couples' labor supply is equivalent to a substantial widening of the gender wage gap." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Economics of Gender-Specific Minimum Wage Legislation (2024)
Zitatform
Marchingiglio, Riccardo & Michael Poyker (2024): The Economics of Gender-Specific Minimum Wage Legislation. In: Journal of labor economics. DOI:10.1086/733493
Abstract
"Using full count U.S. census data, we study the impact of early 20th-century state-industry-specific minimum wage laws that primarily targeted female employees. Our triple-difference estimates suggest a null impact of the minimum wage laws, potentially reflecting disemployment effects and the positive selection bias of the workers remaining in the labor force. When comparing county-industry Trends between counties straddling state borders, female employment is lower by around 3.1% in affected county-industry cells. We further investigate the implications for own-wage elasticity of labor demand as afunction of cross-industry concentration, the channels of substitution between men and women, and heterogeneity by marital status." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Adjustments in women's labour force participation in response to the deterioration of the labour market situation of the male partner (2024)
Zitatform
Matysiak, Anna, Anna Kurowska & Alina Maria Pavelea (2024): Adjustments in women's labour force participation in response to the deterioration of the labour market situation of the male partner. (SocArXiv papers), 86 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/bn4re
Abstract
"Earnings constitute one of the most important sources of income for most of the European families. In this context, growing instability of employment relations and the spread of nonstandard employment – which is usually less secure and less paid than standard employment – pose serious financial risks to families, especially the traditional and modernised male breadwinner couples which rely on one income. Such couples still constitute around 20%-50% of couples in the European Union. In this report, we examined one particular resilience strategy these couples may develop in case of men's entry to unemployment or involuntary nonstandard employment, namely woman's increase in her labor supply. We also investigate the role of country-specific policies in moderating her response. To this end, we conducted three empirical studies based on EU-SILC and EU LFS data which were complemented with policy indicators derived from EUROMOD and UKMOD. Our findings suggest that women living in (modernized) male breadwinner couples indeed react to the deterioration in men’s employment situation though this reaction is relatively weak. Namely, not more than 10% of women who were inactive or worked part-time prior to the deterioration of his employment situation increase their labor supply. This response is stronger in countries with better public childcare (though only in case of his entry into involuntary nonstandard employment and not unemployment) and lower marginal tax rates. Notably, it is not affected by the generosity of the social benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
How Do Households Fare Economically When Mothers Become Their Primary Financial Support? (2024)
Zitatform
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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Literaturhinweis
Unconditional cash transfers and maternal employment: Evidence from the Baby’s First Years study (2024)
Sauval, Maria ; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu ; Gennetian, Lisa A. ; Noble, Kimberly G. ; Duncan, Greg J. ; Fox, Nathan A. ; Magnuson, Katherine A.;Zitatform
Sauval, Maria, Greg J. Duncan, Lisa A. Gennetian, Katherine A. Magnuson, Nathan A. Fox, Kimberly G. Noble & Hirokazu Yoshikawa (2024): Unconditional cash transfers and maternal employment: Evidence from the Baby’s First Years study. In: Journal of Public Economics, Jg. 236. DOI:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105159
Abstract
"How the labor force participation of mothers of young children responds to unconditioned cash support remains an open question in policy debates. Using data from Baby’s First Years, a large-scale randomized controlled study, we generate new estimates of the impact of an unconditional monthly cash transfer on maternal employment behavior through a child’s first four yearsof life. We find no overall statistically detectable differences in whether mothers participated in the paid workforce or on total household earnings. Receipt of the cash transfer appears to have reduced hours of maternal work during the height of the pandemic in 2020–21." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Maternal Employment Patterns and the Risk for Child Maltreatment (2024)
Zitatform
Schneider, William, Megan Feely & Jeehae Kang (2024): Maternal Employment Patterns and the Risk for Child Maltreatment. In: Social Service Review, Jg. 98, H. 1, S. 34-92. DOI:10.1086/728457
Abstract
"This study examines the complex, nonlinear, and understudied relationship between maternal employment, employment patterns, and four types of child maltreatment; describes the employment status and often nonstandard employment patterns of high-risk mothers at three child developmental ages; and applies the results in the context of three theories used in extant research to understand the relationship between economic hardship and child maltreatment. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we find that both too much and not enough paid employment are associated with increased risk for child maltreatment, neglect in particular. Our findings indicate that income-support programs tied to employment may be ineffective mechanisms for many families to balance time and money, key factors in the prevention of child maltreatment. As policy makers seek new approaches to prevent child maltreatment, scholars must understand and consider the employment patterns of at-risk mothers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Parents' hourly wages in female same-sex and different-sex couples: The role of partner's gender and employers (2024)
Zitatform
Stückradt, Katharina, Eva Jaspers, Ruben van Gaalen & Weverthon Machado (2024): Parents' hourly wages in female same-sex and different-sex couples: The role of partner's gender and employers. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 36, S. 66-84. DOI:10.20377/jfr-960
Abstract
"Objective: This research article investigates the relationship between parenthood and wages, considering the partner's gender and the influence of employers on wage trajectories for birth and non-birth mothers and fathers. Background: It offers a novel examination whether the gender of the partner affects the wage outcomes for birth mothers and explores the differential impact of employers on wages for birth and non-birth mothers, using Dutch register data. Method: Utilizing OLS regression, Heckman selection, and fixed-effects models, this study focuses on all Dutch couples who had their first child between 2008 and 2014 in the Netherlands, from two years prior to the birth until two years after birth. Results: Consistent with human capital theory, the findings reveal a consistent and unfavourable wage development for birth mothers, regardless of whether they are in same-sex couples or different-sex couples. The wage development for non-birth mothers in female same-sex couples resembles that of fathers, showing a more positive trajectory compared to birth mothers. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that employers do not differentiate in their treatment of birth and non-birth mothers, suggesting that biological constraints associated with motherhood impact wages of birth mothers, while both their male and female partners ’ wages do not decline. Conclusion: The study contributes to the existing literature in family sociology, highlighting the need for policies and interventions that address the specific challenges faced by birth mothers in the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
(Un)doing gender in female breadwinner households: Gender relations and structural change (2024)
Zitatform
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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Literaturhinweis
How Do Households Respond to Job Loss? Lessons from Multiple High-Frequency Datasets (2023)
Andersen, Asger Lau ; Jensen, Amalie Sofie; Leth-Petersen, Søren ; Sheridan, Adam ; Johannesen, Niels ; Kreiner, Claus Thustrup ;Zitatform
Andersen, Asger Lau, Amalie Sofie Jensen, Niels Johannesen, Claus Thustrup Kreiner, Søren Leth-Petersen & Adam Sheridan (2023): How Do Households Respond to Job Loss? Lessons from Multiple High-Frequency Datasets. In: American Economic Journal. Applied Economics, Jg. 15, H. 4, S. 1-29. DOI:10.1257/app.20210206
Abstract
"How much and through which channels do households self-insure against job loss? Combining data from a large bank and from government sources, we quantify a broad range of responses to job loss in a unified empirical framework. Cumulated over a two-year period, households reduce spending by 30 percent of their income loss. They mainly self-insure through adjustments of liquid balances, which account for 50 percent of the income loss. Other channels—spousal labor supply, private transfers, home equity extraction, mortgage refinancing, and consumer credit—contribute less to self-insurance. Both overall self-insurance and the channels vary with household characteristics in intuitive ways." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Forward-Looking Labor Supply Responses to Changes in Pension Wealth: Evidence from Germany (2023)
Zitatform
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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Literaturhinweis
Fertility postponement and labor market outcomes: Postponed childbearing improves women's labor market outcomes but may reduce overall fertility (2023)
Zitatform
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)
Weiterführende Informationen
deutsche Kurzfassung -
Literaturhinweis
The Persistence in Gendering: Work-Family Policy in Britain since Beveridge (2023)
Zitatform
Chanfreau, Jenny (2023): The Persistence in Gendering: Work-Family Policy in Britain since Beveridge. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 52, S. 981-998. DOI:10.1017/S0047279422000125
Abstract
"Understanding the historical policy pathways that have led to the constellation of policies that both reflect and shape the current gender order can reveal reasons for the persistence of gender inequality in paid work and unpaid family care. Bringing together existing research and policy critique with Carol Bacchi’s framework of policy as ‘gendering practices’, this paper focuses on the role of policy as a process that constructs and upholds an unequal gender order. The discussion traces how UK social policies have since the establishment of the post-war welfare state articulated and positioned gendered possibilities for combining paid work and childrearing, shaping gendered and classed work-family life courses. The analysis illustrates that British social policy has not been consistently committed to a more equal gender regime but instead maintained a heteronormative family ideal and thus, despite various policy changes, the gendering of ‘the worker’ and ‘the parent’ as conceptualised in UK policy has persisted over the last several decades." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))