Abstract

This project analyzes parental leave uptake in couple households in Germany and its impact on the employment trajectories of mothers and fathers. The basis for the analysis is newly created couple data, where the individual employment biographies of both spouses have been linked. This data allows, for the first time, the analysis of fathers' parental leave uptake using administrative employment data. In addition, it enables the examination of the interactions between the employment biographies of both partners, particularly in relation to career interruptions due to parenthood. Alongside investigating the relationship between mothers' employment and their partners' parental leave uptake, we also focus on the factors influencing fathers' parental leave uptake, as well as the medium- and long-term consequences of parental leave on the employment trajectories of both fathers and mothers.