Sons, Daughters, and the Parental Division of Paid Work and Housework

Children play an important role in shaping the division of labor within couples. This study examines whether the impact of parenthood on the household division of paid work and housework is moderated by child gender, and thereby extends previous work on the effect of child gender on family life. The empirical analysis used fixed effects models and data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1985-2011, N = 7,572). It showed that both fathers and mothers of boys spend more hours on paid work than parents of girls. This child-gender effect is, however, much stronger for women than for men. There is also suggestive evidence that mothers and fathers of a same-sex child spend more time on housework than mothers and fathers of an opposite-sex child. Overall, the analysis indicates that having a daughter is associated with a more traditional division of labor than having a son

Family policies and fathers' working hours: cross-national differences in the paternal labour supply

Despite extensive research on the effect of family policies on the labour supply of mothers, little is known about how these policies affect fathers’ labour market outcomes. Using European panel data (EU-SILC) from 2003 to 2009 and multi-level models, this study analyses the effect of family policies on fathers’ working hours. The results indicate that fathers work less than childless men if they live in countries that offer well paid, non-transferable parental leave for fathers, short parental leave for mothers and generous family allowances. The effects, however, are strongly contingent on fathers’ educational levels. Whereas short maternal leaves are associated with shorter working hours among highly educated fathers, generous family allowances and father friendly parental leave schemes reduce the working hours of less educated fathers

Parenthood, child care, and nonstandard work schedules in Europe

An increasing proportion of the European labor force works in the evening, at night or on weekends. Because nonstandard work schedules are associated with a number of negative outcomes for families and children, parents may seek to avoid such schedules. However, for parents with insufficient access to formal child care, working nonstandard hours or days may be an adaptive strategy used to manage child-care needs. It enables ‘split-shift’ parenting, where parents work alternate schedules, allowing one of the two to be at home looking after the children. This study examines the prevalence of nonstandard work schedules among parents and nonparents in 22 European countries. Specifically, we ask whether the provision of formal child care influences the extent to which parents of preschool-aged children work nonstandard schedules. Using data from the European Social Survey and multilevel models, we find evidence that the availability of formal child care reduces nonstandard work among parents. This indicates that access to formal child care enables parents to work standard schedules. To the extent that nonstandard work schedules are negatively associated with child well-being, access to formal child care protects children from the adverse effects of their parents’ evening and night work

Introduction to the Special Issue "Parental work and family/child well-being"

The "new economy" is characterized by increasing levels of nonstandard employment. A significant proportion of employees work very long hours, work with high intensity, or have long commutes to work. Also, many workers struggle to secure adequate, stable employment or good quality jobs, and work evening and night shifts or work multiple jobs in order to make ends meet. This special issue examines the consequences of the new economy for the wellbeing of family and children. The studies included in this special issue address the impact of parents’ nonstandard work schedules (shift work), long work hours, temporary employment, and long commutes to work on parental and child health and wellbeing, relationship satisfaction, work-family balance, and the division of labour

Parenthood and Life Satisfaction in Germany

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Elternschaft und Lebenszufriedenheit. Im Zentrum des Interesses steht die Frage, inwiefern die elterliche Lebenszufriedenheit durch individuelle und familiale Kontextfaktoren beeinflusst wird. Grundlage der empirischen Untersuchung sind die Daten der ersten Welle des Beziehungs- und Familienpanels (pairfam). Insgesamt zeigen die durchgeführten Querschnittsanalysen, dass Eltern zwar eine verringerte Zufriedenheit mit ihrer Freizeit, ihren sozialen Kontakten und ihrer Partnerschaft verzeichnen, jedoch mit ihrem Leben allgemein zufriedener sind als kinderlose Personen. Eine erhöhte Lebenszufriedenheit wird insbesondere in den ersten Jahren nach der Geburt eines Kindes beobachtet. Die Zufriedenheit der Eltern ist jedoch von verschiedenen Kontextfaktoren abhängig. Eine vergleichsweise hohe Lebenszufriedenheit berichten Eltern in den mittleren und höheren Einkommenslagen, wohingegen bei einkommensschwachen Personen ein nur geringer Zusammenhang zwischen der Elternschaft und der Lebenszufriedenheit beobachtet wird. Ferner variiert die Lebenszufriedenheit von Müttern, aber nicht die der Väter mit ihrem Erwerbsstatus. So berichten lediglich nichterwerbstätige und teilzeitbeschäftigte Mütter eine höhere Lebenszufriedenheit als kinderlose Frauen. Schließlich verzeichnen Väter, bei denen die Familiengründung vermutlich ungeplant erfolgte, kein höheres Zufriedenheitsniveau als Männer ohne Kinder.This article examines the association between parenthood and life satisfaction. It focuses on the question to which extent parental life satisfaction is influenced by individual and familial context. The empirical study is based on the data from the first wave of the German Family Panel (pairfam). All in all, the analyses show that although parents are less satisfied with their leisure time, their social contacts and their relationship, they are nonetheless more satisfied with their life in general than their childless peers. Increased life satisfaction is observed in particular in the first years following the birth of a child. The satisfaction of parents is, however, dependent upon different contextual factors. Parents in the medium and higher income ranges report a comparatively high degree of life satisfaction, whereas only a weak association is observed between parenthood and life satisfaction among low-income persons. Moreover, the life satisfaction of mothers, but not of fathers, varies with their employment status. For instance, only non-employed and part-time employed mothers report a greater life satisfaction than childless women. Finally, fathers whose family formation was presumably unplanned record no higher level of satisfaction than men without children

Ausbildungsinadäquate Erwerbstätigkeit: eine berufliche Sackgasse? : eine Analyse für jüngere Nicht-Akademiker in Westdeutschland (Employment below the level of qualification - an occupational impasse? : an analysis for younger non-graduates in western Germany)

"In the paper the length of time spent in employment below the level of qualification is analysed for the first time. Using an exponential hazard rate model the study looks at transitions from inadequate employment into activities which are suited to the qualification level. What is examined are the careers of western German non-graduates of the birth year cohorts 1964 and 1971 from the study on life courses conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Educational Research in Berlin. This data basis provides information in the form of monthly spell data about all career changes from the beginning of employment until the time of the survey in 1998. The empirical results substantiate a considerable extent of individual persistence of inadequate employment. However, the risk of remaining in inadequate employment is extremely heterogeneous. People in inadequate employment who have better human capital move up far more rapidly into activities that are suited to their qualifications than other people. For people with an inadequate school education and those who only have simple vocational training, employment which is inadequate for the level of qualification frequently constitutes an occupational impasse." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Ausbildungsabsolventen, Fachkräfte, Berufsverlauf, unterwertige Beschäftigung - Dauer, adäquate Beschäftigung, Westdeutschland, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

The Influence of Fatherhood on Preferred Working Hours: A Longitudinal Study for Germany

Die Erwartungen an die Karriereentwicklung von Männern nach der Familiengründung rekurrieren auf zwei verschiedenartige Konzeptionen von Vaterschaft. Dies ist zum einen das Modell des Familienernährers, dem zufolge Väter ihre beruflichen Anstrengungen erhöhen, und zum anderen das Modell der neuen Vaterschaft, wonach Väter zu einem stärkeren Engagement in der Familienarbeit, auch auf Kosten der Erwerbstätigkeit, neigen. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, inwiefern Väter im Zuge der Familiengründung ihren Erwerbsumfang ausweiten bzw. reduzieren möchten. Die Analysen auf Basis des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels zeigen, dass Richtung und Ausmaß der beruflichen Reaktion signifikant durch die Erwerbssituation der Partnerin geprägt werden. Während Väter, deren Partnerin nichterwerbstätig oder geringfügig beschäftigt ist, ihre gewünschte Arbeitzeit erhöhen, tendieren Väter mit einer beruflich stark engagierten Partnerin zu einer Verminderung des präferierten Erwerbsumfangs. Ein nennenswerter Wandel des väterlichen Arbeitsangebots im Zeitverlauf ist trotz der wachsenden Zustimmung zur engagierten Vaterschaft und zur egalitären Arbeitsteilung jedoch nicht zu beobachten.The existing literature offers two conflicting expectations about how fatherhood may influence men's working hours. The traditional male-provider model predicts that a man will increase his labour supply after becoming a father, while the model of involved fatherhood suggests that fathers will cut back their working hours. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this article considers how becoming a father affects men's preferred working hours. The findings indicate that fathers whose wives work full-time tend to decrease their labour supply. In contrast fathers whose wives work part-time or are homemakers tend to increase their working hours. Despite changes in gender role attitudes, fathers' willingness to reduce their working hours has not increased in recent decades

The reproduction of educational inequalities - do parenting and child behavioural problems matter?

The strong link between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s success in school is well established. However, mechanisms that underpin this association remain a major issue in current research on social inequality. Using data from the Families in Germany Study and structural equation modelling, this study demonstrates that parenting styles and child behavioural problems explain, in part, the association between parental SES and child school grades for mathematics and German between the ages of 9 and 10. We found that parents with a low SES are more likely to be inconsistent in their parenting and to use psychological control with their children more often, these two factors being linked to child behavioural problems. Adverse parenting and behavioural problems are, in turn, associated with low school grades. Our findings also show that behavioural problems in children are associated with lower school grades independent of parenting style. These findings suggest that parenting styles and child behavioural problems and their interplay may be potential pathways that underpin the influence of parental SES on children’s school achievement

Generierung eines Proxys zum Job-Anforderungsniveau aus den Informationen zu ausgeübtem Beruf und beruflicher Stellung: ein neues Tool für die deutsche Überqualifikations-Forschung

'Die Fehlqualifikations-Forschung gewinnt als eigenständige und innovative Teildisziplin der Arbeitsmarktforschung schnell an Bedeutung. Als Fehlqualifikation wird eine fehlende Übereinstimmung zwischen erworbener beruflicher Qualifikation und den Anforderungen der ausgeübten beruflichen Tätigkeit bezeichnet. Von besonderem Interesse dabei ist der vertikale Mismatch in Form einer Überqualifikation. Ein wesentliches Hemmnis der weiteren Entwicklung der deutschen Überqualifikations- Forschung liegt in einer spezifischen Datenrestriktion: Häufig enthalten die verfügbaren Mikrodaten keine hinreichend genauen Angaben zum Job-Anforderungsniveau der Erwerbstätigen. In dieser Situation behelfen sich viele Forscher dadurch, dass sie die Information zur beruflichen Stellung als Proxy für das Job Anforderungsniveau verwenden. Dieses Verfahren hat jedoch schwer wiegende Nachteile, die die Validität der Messung von Überqualifikation in Frage stellt. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein leistungsfähigeres Verfahren zur Generierung eines Proxys des Job-Anforderungsniveaus vorgestellt. Dieses basiert auf den Informationen zum ausgeübten Beruf und zur beruflichen Stellung. Beide Variablen sind in den meisten Datensätzen verfügbar. Mit dem neuen Verfahren werden somit auch Datensätze, die das Job-Anforderungsniveau der Erwerbstätigen nicht explizit erfragen, für die Überqualifikationsforschung nutzbar.' (Autorenreferat

Parents' nonstandard work schedules and children's social and emotional wellbeing: a mixed-methods analysis in Germany

Many children live in households where either one or both parents work nonstandard schedules in the evening, night or weekend. Using a mixed methods design, this study examined whether nonstandard work schedules were linked to lower social and emotional wellbeing in children. The quantitative analysis based on the German Family Panel Study (pairfam) showed that children whose parents worked rotating shifts and other types of nonstandard schedules reported elevated levels of emotional and conduct problems. However, not all types of nonstandard schedules were detrimental to child wellbeing: fixed shift work did not have a negative impact on child social and emotional wellbeing. Overall, the effect of mothers' work schedule on child wellbeing was stronger than that of fathers. The qualitative interviews revealed that nonstandard work schedules made everyday life unsettling and family environment chaotic because it was difficult to plan. Thus, for most families where one or both parents worked such schedules stress was a defining feature of the daily life and parents accepted it as "part of their life". Families used different strategies to deal with stress and attempted to protect children from it. Contingent on what resources available to them, some families managed well, while others did not cope so well and children were adversely affected