Zitatform

Dommermuth, Lars & Ragni Hege Kitterød (2009): Fathers' employment in a father-friendly welfare state. Does fatherhood affect men's working hours? In: Community, work & family, Jg. 12, H. 4, S. 417-436. DOI:10.1080/13668800902753960

Abstract

"An important aim of Norwegian work - family policies is to enhance the family role of fathers. Time-use surveys show a slight increase in fathers' family work, but we still know little about the relationship between men's family circumstances and working hours. On the one hand, policy measures encourage the greater involvement of fathers in family life. On the other hand, men are the main providers in most couples and employment and breadwinning are still important components of men's fathering identity. In this paper, we examine the relationship between fatherhood and working time, with a particular focus on the possible effects of the number and ages of children. Utilizing the Norwegian Labour Force Survey 2005, we find that men's contractual working hours are not significantly affected by their parental status, but men do curtail their actual working hours when they have young children, and particularly if there is only one child in the household. However, men with school-aged children actually work longer hours than non-fathers and men with young children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

MacGinnity, Frances, Philip J. O'Connell, Kate Hunt, Elin Kvande, Carol Emslie, Tracey Warren, Cecile Guillaume, Jacqueline H. Watts, Gillian Pascall, Sigtona Halrynjo, Sophie Pochic, Elizabeth Fox & Helen Russell, MacGinnity, Frances, Philip J. O'Connell, Kate Hunt, Elin Kvande, Carol Emslie, Tracey Warren, Cecile Guillaume, Jacqueline H. Watts, Gillian Pascall, Sigtona Halrynjo, Sophie Pochic, Elizabeth Fox & Helen Russell (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2009): Work-life Balance. A matter of choice? In: Gender, Work and Organization, Jg. 16, H. 1, S. 1-172. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2008.00429.x

Abstract

"Existing literature casts the work-life interface in terms of three issues: time management; inter-role conflict (role overload and interference) and care arrangements for dependents. This special issue looks through a gender lens at the ways in which both men and women negotiate the relationship between work and home life, particularly when they have caring responsibilities at home. It explores the relationship between formal policies and their impact on men and women's ability to effect a choice in shaping their careers and their day-to-day commitments." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Halrynjo, Sigtona & Selma Therese Lyng (2009): Preferences, constraints or schemas of devotion? Exploring Norwegian mothers' withdrawals from high-commitment careers. In: The British Journal of Sociology, Jg. 60, H. 2, S. 321-343. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01233.x

Abstract

"Despite decades of focus on gender equality and work-family balance, parenthood still affects mothers' and fathers' careers differently. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Norwegian mothers who are relinquishing high-commitment careers of law and consultancy, this paper questions the adequacy of established explanations emphasizing constraints vs. individual preferences. Our sample of female professionals living in a well-developed welfare state is particularly apt to explore the processes and mechanisms upholding the statistically gendered pattern of women reducing their work commitment after childbirth. These doubly privileged mothers might be considered to have the best odds for combining career and work commitment with motherhood. Thus, we argue that the approach emphasizing practical constraints does not sufficiently account for the withdrawal from high-commitment careers among these female professionals. Nevertheless, we are not content with the claim of Preference Theory that this shift in commitment is merely a matter of 'not-so-dedicated' women discovering their 'genuine' preferences. Rather, in order to understand why and how this shift occurs, we explore the culturally constructed rationalities and schemas of both work and family devotions. We specifically examine the circumstances, mechanisms and steps in a seemingly individual process of making the shift in commitment from a promising career to a family-friendly job. Moreover, the analysis demonstrates how generous parental leave arrangements designed to enhance gender equality and work-family balance by simply reducing practical constraints may have limited - or even counterproductive - impact within high-commitment occupations where the 'irreplaceability' of workers is taken for granted. Our findings indicate that unless the culturally (re)produced discourses, demands and expectations of both work and family are exposed and challenged, even intentionally gender neutral work-family policies will continue to facilitate mothers' career withdrawals, expressed as modified individual preferences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Havnes, Tarjei & Magne Mogstad (2009): Money for nothing? Universal child care and maternal employment. (IZA discussion paper 4504), Bonn, 30 S.

Abstract

"The strong correlation between child care and maternal employment rates has led previous research to conclude that affordable and readily available child care is a driving force both of cross-country differences in maternal employment and of its rapid growth over the last decades. We analyze the introduction of subsidized, universally accessible child care in Norway. Our precise and robust difference-in-differences estimates reveal that there is little, if any, causal effect of child care on maternal employment, despite a strong correlation. Instead of increasing mothers' labor supply, the new subsidized child care mostly crowds out informal child care arrangements, suggesting a significant net cost of the child care subsidies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lohmann, Henning, Frauke H. Peter, Tine Rostgaard & Stephen P. Jenkins (2009): Towards a framework for assessing family policies in the EU. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 88), Paris, 94 S. DOI:10.1787/223883627348

Abstract

"This report presents the results of a first attempt to create a framework for assessing the performance of national family policies. The report is part of a joint EU and OECD project, which aims to help the EU Government Expert Group on Demographic Issues in evaluating national family policies. The idea behind the framework is that it allows individual countries to compare their overall performance in the area of family policies with the performance of other countries. The main focus of the report is policies for families with smaller children. The framework provides a set of cross-nationally comparable indicators on contexts, policy measures, and outcomes, organised on a systematic basis. The policy measure indicators presented in the report cover leave schemes, early childhood education and care, family benefits and workplace policies. The indicators build upon, interalia, previous work by the OECD in various studies on family-friendly policies that were carried out on a cross-national basis using different sets of indicators. Most of these indicators are today available in the OECD Family Database. Wherever the OECD Family Database contains indicators for the majority of EU member states and OECD countries, these data have been used in the present study. Otherwise, data from other cross-national databases have been included. Each indicator in the framework is presented as a single-standing indicator in the general absence of scientific consensus on different aggregation weights. In the report no explicit ranking of countries has been attempted, instead the relative position of countries has been illustrated with the help of standard deviation scores. In the last part of the report the linkages between policy aims and the various context, outcome and policy measures are indicated, which help construct 'score cards'. This 'score card-approach' is illustrated for three countries: Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. The report offers tools for assessment that may be developed further, and should offer an approach to using the OECD Family Database, acknowledging this unique data source for cross-country comparisons in the field of family policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Takhtamanova, Yelena & Eva Sierminska (2009): Gender, moentary policy, and employment. The case of nine OECD countries. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 15, H. 3, S. 323-353. DOI:10.1080/13545700902893122

Abstract

"In many countries, low and stable inflation is the focus of monetary policy. Recent empirical evidence from developing countries indicates, however, that the costs of reducing inflation are disproportionately borne by women. This paper seeks to determine whether a similar pattern is evident in nine Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries, using quarterly data for 1980-2004. The study examines economy-wide and sectoral employment effects by gender by utilizing two methodologies: single equation regression and vector autoregression analysis. Results indicate that the link between monetary policy instruments (short-term interest rates) and employment in the industrial countries under investigation is weak and does not vary by gender." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Betzelt, Sigrid (2008): Activation policies from a gender-sensible citizenship perspective. A tentative analytical framework. (ZeS-Arbeitspapier 2008/03), Bremen, 35 S.

Abstract

"Das Papier entwickelt einen vorläufigen Analyserahmen für den systematischen Vergleich unterschiedlicher Typen von Aktivierungspolitiken im Hinblick auf ihre Implikationen für das Wohlfahrtsdreieck zwischen Staat-Markt-Familie und Geschlechterungleichheiten. Ausgangspunkt ist die Erkenntnis, dass das inzwischen universell gültige arbeitsmarktpolitische 'Aktivierungsparadigma', d. h. die (Re-)Kommodifizierung aller erwerbsfähigen Bürgerinnen und Bürger, die Wohlfahrtsproduktion der Familie insofern betrifft als es mit der vor allem von Frauen unbezahlt geleisteten Sorgearbeit für Angehörige kollidiert. Auf dem theoretischen Hintergrund sozialer BürgerInnenrechte wird angenommen, dass diese unbezahlte Sorgearbeit weder vollständig kommodifiziert und de-familialisiert werden kann, noch dass dies gesellschaftlich wünschenswert ist. Vielmehr bedeutet die Idee einer 'inklusiven sozialen Staatsbürgerschaft' wie sie in der feministischen Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung entwickelt wurde, dass sie sowohl Erwerbs- als auch Sorgeverantwortung aller Bürger und Bürgerinnen als Basis für Anerkennung und Subsistenzrechte einschließt. Ausgehend von diesem dem Aktivierungsparadigma inhärenten Spannungsverhältnis werden zwei zentrale Forschungsfragen formuliert: Erstens, wie beantworten die unterschiedlichen Ländervarianten von Aktivierungspolitik dieses Spannungsverhältnis und welche Interdependenzen bestehen zwischen Wohlfahrts- und Gender-Regimen und dem spezifischen Aktivierungstyp? Zweitens, was sind die Ergebnisse dieses Zusammenspiels im Hinblick auf soziale Ungleichheiten besonders von Geschlecht und Klasse und hinsichtlich der Idee sozial inklusiver Staatsbürgerschaft? Um diese Fragen für die vergleichende Forschung zu operationalisieren, wird ein vorläufiger Analyserahmen vorgeschlagen, der sieben relevante Dimensionen und entsprechende Indikatoren für deren Messung und Bewertung enthält. Dieses Analyseinstrument wurde für eine Fallstudie deutscher Aktivierungspolitik angewendet, deren zentrale Befunde im Licht vergleichender Forschung diskutiert werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Casarico, Alessandra & Alessandro Sommacal (2008): Labor income taxation, human capital and growth. The role of child care. (CESifo working paper 2363), München, 32 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies the implications of introducing child care in the human capital production function when assessing the effects of labor income taxation on growth. We develop an OLG model where formal schooling and child care enter the human capital production function as complements and we compare it with a model where only formal schooling matters for skill formation. Using a numerical analysis we find that, depending on the quality of child care services relative to parental care, the omission of child care from the technology of skills' formation can significantly bias the results related to the effects of labor income taxation on growth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Moss, Peter & Marta Korintus (Hrsg.) (2008): International review of leave policies and related research 2008. (Employment relations research series 100), London, 383 S.

Abstract

"This report is about leave entitlements, mainly for workers with dependant children. As the report shows, working parents today in most countries are entitled to a range of different types of leave, going under a variety of different names. Moreover, in a number of countries the distinction between types of leave is increasingly blurred. This report is produced by an international network on leave policy and research, consisting of over 40 experts from 24 countries, mostly in Europe. The network covers policies for parents and others with care responsibilities, including for adult relatives, as well as policies available to the whole population such as life course career breaks and time accounts. But initially, priority is being given to leave policies focused on the care of children. Among the purposes of this network are: the exchange of information about policies, both in individual countries and by international organisations, and research on leave policies; the provision of a forum for the cross-national discussion of issues and trends in policy and research; and providing a source of regularly updated information on policies and research, including:
- the three-year leave period: too long or not?
- employers' perspectives and involvement and
- policies to increase fathers' use of leave." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Sigle-Rushton, Wendy & Jane Waldfogel (2007): Motherhood and women's earnings in Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic Countries. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 13, H. 2, S. 55-91. DOI:10.1080/13545700601184849

Abstract

"The earnings of mothers make up an important, but difficult to quantify, component of parental expenditures on children. This paper compares the long-term earnings of women with children, women without children, and men. The study conducts separate analyses for less educated, moderately educated, and highly educated people in eight Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic countries. The study finds that, for the most part, these countries cluster into three groups, with mothers in the Continental European group experiencing the largest earnings differentials, mothers in the Nordic group experiencing the smallest, and mothers in the Anglo-American countries occupying the middle position." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"90 Prozent aller Mitgliedsstaaten der Internationalen Arbeitsorganisation (ILO) haben inzwischen die Kernarbeitsnormen gegen Diskriminierung ratifiziert und sich damit zur Verabschiedung entsprechender Gesetze verpflichtet. Doch Gesetze allein reichen nicht aus, um Diskriminierung wirksam zu bekämpfen. Der Bericht lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit von Regierungen und Sozialpartnern auch auf neue Formen der Diskriminierung, die noch zu wenig Beachtung finden - beispielsweise aufgrund von Alter, HIV/AIDS, eines ungesunden Lebensstils oder der Wahrscheinlichkeit bestimmter genetischer Krankheiten. Die meisten Fälle von Diskriminierung aber betreffen nach wie vor Frauen. Die ILO betont in ihrem Bericht daher die herausragende Bedeutung von Maßnahmen zur besseren Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf. So sollten familienfreundliche Maßnahmen nicht nur Frauen, sondern auch Männern offen stehen. In einigen Ländern, wie Island und Dänemark, wurden bestimmte Maßnahmen gezielt für Männer vorgesehen, beispielsweise ein besonderer Kinderbetreuungsurlaub nur für Männer. Nur wenn deutlich gemacht werde, dass die Wahrnehmung von Familienpflichten durch Männer sozial gewollt und akzeptiert wird, könne ein notwendiger Umdenkprozess stattfinden. Auch die Sozialpartner könnten durch entsprechende Ausgestaltung von Tarifverträgen einen Beitrag leisten, etwa indem Erziehungspausen nicht zu einer niedrigeren Einstufung führen. In Deutschland werden Frauen immer noch weniger eingestellt, rücken seltener in Führungspositionen und verdienen deutlich weniger als Männer. So beträgt das Lohngefälle zwischen Frauen und Männern laut dem Gleichstellungsbericht der EU-Kommission 22 Prozent, womit Deutschland in der EU auf dem viertletzten Platz landet. Auch die EU nennt die schlechte Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf als zentrales Hindernis auf dem Weg zu mehr Gleichberechtigung.
Weitere Empfehlungen der ILO zur Bekämpfung der Diskriminierung weltweit:
- Gesetzgebung, die nicht nur Diskriminierung verbietet, sondern aktiv Ziele zur Förderung der Gleichberechtigung setzt;
- Unterstützung der Sozialpartner, um Gleichstellungsfragen in der Tarifpolitik zu verankern;
- gezielte Arbeitsmarktpolitik zur Förderung und Einbindung benachteiligter Gruppen;
- Bindung der öffentlichen Auftragsvergabe an die Einhaltung des Diskriminierungsverbots;
- Einrichtung von Antidiskriminierungskommissionen beziehungsweise Kommissionen für Lohngleichheit;
- Förderung der Lohngerechtigkeit auf betrieblicher Ebene durch 'Kartierung' der Lohnstruktur, um Lohndiskrepanzen sichtbar zu machen und abzubauen;
- Einbindung von Gleichstellungsmaßnahmen in die Länderprogramme der ILO für menschenwürdige Arbeit ebenso wie in die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, die staatliche Kreditvergabe und Investitionsförderpolitik." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Abstract

"The Global Employment Trends for Women Brief 2007 focuses on whether the tendency toward increased participation has continued more recently and whether women have found enough decent and productive jobs to really enable them to use their potential in the labour market and achieve economic independence. The approach is based on updates and analysis of a number of major labour market indicators. These include: labour force participation; unemployment; sector and status of employment; wages/earnings; and education and skills. Taken together, they show whether women who want to work actually do so, whether women find it harder to get a job than men, differences in the type of work done by women and men and equality of treatment in areas ranging from pay to education and training." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Aaberge, Rolf, Ugo Colombino & Tom Wennemo (2006): Evaluating alternative representations of the choice sets in models of labour supply. (IZA discussion paper 1986), Bonn, 26 S.

Abstract

"During the last two decades, the discrete-choice modelling of labour supply decisions has become increasingly popular, starting with Aaberge et al. (1995) and van Soest (1995). Within the literature adopting this approach there are however two potentially important issues that are worthwhile analyzing in their implications and that so far have not been given the attention they might deserve. A first issue concerns the procedure by which the discrete alternatives are selected to enter the choice set. For example van Soest (1995) chooses (non-probabilistically) a set of fixed points identical for every individual. This is by far the most widely adopted method. By contrast, Aaberge et al. (1995) adopt a sampling procedure suggested by McFadden (1978) and also assume that the choice set may differ across the households. A second issue concerns the availability of the alternatives. Most authors assume all the values of hours-of-work within some range [0, H] are equally available.! At the other extreme, some authors assume only two or three alternatives (e.g. non-participation, part-time and full-time) are available for everyone. Aaberge et al. (1995) assume instead that not all the hour opportunities are equally available to everyone; they specify a probability density function of opportunities for each individual and the discrete choice set used in the estimation is built by sampling from that individual-specific density function. In this paper we explore by simulation the implications of the procedure used to build the choice set (fixed alternatives vs. sampled alternatives) and of accounting or not accounting for a different availability of alternatives. The way the choice set is represented seems to have little impact on the fitting of observed values, but a more significant and important impact on the out-of-sample prediction performance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Datta Gupta, Nabanita, Nina Smith & Mette Verner (2006): Child care and parental leave in the Nordic countries. A model to aspire to? (IZA discussion paper 2014), Bonn, 58 S.

Abstract

"The Nordic countries have remarkably high participation rates of mothers and a moderate decrease of fertility rates compared to other western countries. This has been attributed to the fact that the welfare state model and, especially, the family friendly policies chosen in the Nordic countries are unique. The availability of generous parental leave schemes including high compensation rates makes it possible for mothers to take a considerable time out of work in connection with childbirths and to return to their previous jobs afterwards, thanks to the high provision of public daycare. In this paper we evaluate family-friendly policies in the 'Nordic model' with respect to the two modes of child care i.e. either parental care facilitated by maternal and parental leave schemes or non-parental publicly provided care. Our questions for discussion are: Is there a 'Nordic model', and is it worth the cost if effects on child development and welfare are included? Is there a trade-of! f between family-friendly policies and family welfare, and are there serious negative boomerang effects of family-friendly policies on women?s position in the labor market? Is the 'Nordic model' a model to aspire to?" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Mandel, Hadas & Moshe Semyonov (2006): A welfare state paradox. State interventions and women's employment opportunities in 22 countries. In: American Journal of Sociology, Jg. 111, H. 6, S. 1910-1949.

Abstract

"This study explores the role played by the welfare state in affecting women's labor force participation and occupational achievement. Using data from 22 industrialized countries, the authors examine the consequences of state interventions for both women's employment patterns and gender inequality in occupational attainment. The findings reveal a twofold effect: developed welfare states facilitate women's access into the labor force but not into powerful and desirable positions. Specifically, nations characterized by progressive and developed welfare policies and by a large public service sector tend to have high levels of female labor force participation, along with a high concentration of women in female-typed occupations and low female representation in managerial occupations. The findings provide insights into the social mechanisms underlying the relations between welfare states' benefits to working mothers and women's participation and achievements in the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Teigen, Mari (2006): Die norwegische Gender-Politik. Quoten und aktive Förderung. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 59, H. 3, S. 138-143.

Abstract

"Der Beitrag schildert die wesentlichen Aspekte der Quotenpolitik und der Politik der aktiven Förderung von Gleichstellung ('positive Maßnahmen') in Norwegen durch Gesetzgebung, Maßnahmen und Unterstützung durch die Öffentlichkeit. Aktive Förderung und Quotenregelungen gibt es in fast allen gesellschaftlichen Feldern und auch im privaten Bereich ('Vaterquote' beim Elternurlaub). Sie reichen von recht 'weichen Verfahren', die bei gleichen oder gleichwertigen Qualifikationen eine vorrangige Behandlung der KandidatInnen des unterrepräsentierten Geschlechts ermöglichen, bis hin zu strengen Quotierungen, wonach beide Geschlechter in einer Versammlung, einer Kommission, einem Ausschuss etc. mit mindestens 40 % vertreten sein müssen, neuerdings auch in Vorständen privater Aktiengesellschaften. In zentralen Machtarenen sind jedoch nach wie vor Männer dominant." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Hansen, Hans-Tore (2005): Unemployment and marital dissolution. A panel data study of Norway. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 21, H. 2, S. 135-148. DOI:10.1093/esr/jci009

Abstract

"This article investigates whether unemployment within a dyad increases the probability of marital dissolution in Norway. An eight year panel data set of 40,472 couple-year observations is used to study the impact of unemployment on the probability of marital dissolution controlling for other variables. Two topics related to the impact of unemployment on divorce are addressed. First, the question of the impact of social stress as a mediating factor. Second, the question of gender differences with regards to the impact of unemployment. As expected the hypothesis that unemployment leads to an increased (non-monotonic) risk of marital dissolution was supported. While economic problems seem to be an important explanation for the impact of husbands' unemployment, the impact of wife's unemployment remained after controlling for other factors. The analysis also indicates that unemployment may catch unmeasured factors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Allen, Jim & Karin Sanders (2002): Gender gap in earnings at the industry level. In: The European Journal of Women's Studies, Jg. 9, H. 2, S. 163-180.

Abstract

"In this article the authors seek an answer to the question: does the percentage of women working in an industry have an effect on earnings distinct from the effect of sex at the individual level? On the basis of the 'comparable worth' approach, the authors hypothesized that, controlling for education, experience and sex, the percentage of women working in an industry would have a negative effect on earnings. This hypothesis was tested by performing multi-level analysis using data from 12 countries. The hypothesis was confirmed: the multi-level analysis showed a significant negative effect of the percentage of women in an industry on individual earnings, when individual characteristics were controlled for. This effect applied equally formen and women working in an industry. Part, though not all, of the effect could be accounted for by the fact that femaledominated industries are less unionized and more characterized by small firms than male-dominated industries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gustafsson, Siv S. & Daniele E. Meulders (Hrsg.) (2000): Gender and the labour market. Econometric evidence of obstacles to achieving gender equality. (Applied econometrics association), Basingstoke: Macmillan, 336 S.

Abstract

"The purpose of Gender and the Labour Market is to analyze the remaining obstacles in achieving gender equality. The first chapters present different aspects of the gender earnings gap. Different counteries are studied and special emphasis is made on particular sectors and occupations. The next chapters deal with the postponement of first birth by educated women, the non-cooperative behavior in time use, gender differences in job and working mobility, transitions between employment status, discriminations contained in tax systems and poverty rates of single parent households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))