Mario Draghi is right to doubt that austerity is working, but wrong to argue for wage reductions

Martin Myant and Agnieszka Piasna, of the ETUI in Brussels, pick apart recent pronouncements from the ECB’s Mario Dragh

Job Satisfaction and Women’s Timing of Return to Work after Childbirth in the UK

This article examines to what extent multiple facets of pre-childbirth job satisfaction affect women's labor market outcomes after first childbirth in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) we find that higher levels of overall job satisfaction increase the probability of returning to work sooner, and to the same job, during the sample period. Satisfaction with job security, work hours and the work content - but not with pay – are important determinants of mothers’ employment choices. We discuss the role of job satisfaction on women's ability to combine work and family responsibilities, and related aspects of job quality

Wiek zachorowania i płeć jako czynniki modyfikujące związek polimorfizmów zlokalizowanych na chromosomie 9q22 i 14q13 z rakiem brodawkowatym tarczycy

Introduction: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) shows familial occurrence, and some susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in FOXE1 and near the NKX2-1 locus. The aim of our study was to analyse the association of PTC risk with SNPs in FOXE1 (rs965513, rs1867277, rs1443434) and near the NKX2-1 locus (rs944289) in a Polish population, and, in the second step, the interac­tion between SNPs and patient-related factors (age at diagnosis and gender). Material and methods: A total of 2243 DNA samples from PTC patients and 1160 controls were included in the study. The SNP analysis was performed with the allelic discrimination technique. Results: There were significant associations of all SNPs with PTC (rs965513 odds ratio [OR] = 1.72, p = 8 × 10-7; rs1867277 OR = 1.59, p = 1 × 10-6; rs1443434 OR = 1.53, p = 1 × 10-5; rs944289 OR = 1.52, p = 4 × 10-5). Logistic regression analysis revealed an increased PTC risk in the interaction of rs944289 with age at diagnosis (OR = 1.01 per year, p = 6 × 10-4) and a decreased PTC risk in the interaction of male gender with the GGT FOXE1 protective haplotype (OR = 0.69, p = 0.01). Conclusions: the association between PTC and all analysed SNPs was confirmed. It was also shown that patient-related factors modify the predisposition to PTC by increasing the risk for rs944289 per year of age, and by enhancing the protective effect of the FOXE1 GGT haplotype in men.Wstęp: Brodawkowaty rak tarczycy należy do grupy nowotworów litych, w których uwarunkowanie genetyczne ogrywa istotną rolę. Geny odpowiedzialne za predyspozycje do raka brodawkowatego nie są dobrze znane, choć polimorfizmy rs965513 i rs944289 obecnie są uznanymi czynnikami ryzyka. Celem pracy była analiza związku polimorfizmów znajdujących się w 9q22 w locus genu FOXE1 (rs965513, rs1867277, rs1443434) oraz w 14q13 w pobliżu genu NKX2-1 (rs944289) z rakiem brodawkowatym tarczycy oraz ocena wpływu czynników zależnych od pacjenta (wieku zachorowania i płci). Materiał i metody. Materiał obejmował 2243 próbek DNA izolowanych z limfocytów krwi obwodowej pacjentów z rakiem brodawkowatym i 1160 próbek DNA pochodzących od osób zdrowych, stanowiących grupę kontrolną (liczba analizowanych próbek różniła się w zależności od polimorfizmu). Badania wykonano w aparacie 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR System firmy Applied Biosystems techniką dyskryminacji alleli. Wyniki. Znamienny związek z rakiem brodawkowatym wykazywały wszystkie analizowane polimorfizmy (dla rs965513 wartość OR wynosiła 1,72, p = 8 × 10-7; dla rs1867277 OR = 1,58, p = 1 × 10-6; dla rs1443434 OR = 1,53, p = 1 × 10-5; rs944289 OR = 1,52, p = 4 × 10-5). Analiza regresji logistycznej wykazała wzrost ryzyka raka brodawkowatego wraz z wiekiem dla polimorfizmu rs944289 (OR = 1.01 na rok, p = 6 × 10-4) oraz obniżenie ryzyka zachorowania dla haplotypu GGT genu FOXE1 u mężczyzn (OR = 0,69, p = 0,01). Wnioski. Potwierdzony został związek badanych polimorfizmów z rakiem brodawkowatym tarczycy w populacji polskiej. Wykazano modyfikujący wpływ wieku zachorowania i płci męskiej na ryzyko zachorowania uwarunkowane genetycznie

Women's job quality across family life stages: An analysis of female employees across 27 European countries

There is little empirical evidence on how working conditions affect women’s employment and fertility choices, despite a number of studies on the impact of individual-level and institutional factors. The article addresses this gap by examining how family life stages are related to particular aspects of job quality among employed women in 27 European countries. The central argument of the analysis is that high-quality jobs are conducive to both transitions to motherhood and employment after childbirth as women select into these roles. Accordingly, mothers of young children, if employed, are expected to have relatively better quality jobs. Four dimensions of job quality are considered: job security, career progression, working time and intrinsic job quality. The results indicate that mothers with young children are more likely to hold high-quality jobs than women at other life stages with respect to working time quality and job security, but with some variation across countries for job security. The findings highlight the importance of high-quality jobs for women’s fertility decisions and labour market attachment after childbirth, with implications for European employment policy