Facilitation of Employability for Maternity and Parental Leavers in Europe: A Scoping Review

This report presents the findings of an European project concerning facilitation of employability for parental leavers in European countries. The conclusions and recommendations in this report build on comparisons of relevant European policy documents, country nates from five European countries (France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovakia) and a search in relevant databases. Taken together, these data form an approximate scoping review - to map a wide range of literature. Both the concepts of maternal and parental leave are used in the present report. Research related to leave in connection with young children use the term maternity leave until the last decades where more frequent parental leave is used. We are aware that a distinction between parental and maternity leave does not apply in same countries. A main finding is that parental leave and employability is a complex and context sensitive area. This relates to the fact that parental leave must be seen in connection with both individual, organisational, cultural, historical and political (legislative) issues on both national and European level. In this study, the focus has been mainly descriptive on the political (legislative) level, while a more interpretative analysis is made on how to develop tools and educational programs concerning development of employability skills relevant for parental leavers and employers. Analysis of the situation regarding parental leavers' employment in the partner countries shows that maternal employment in France, Slovakia and Hungary is rather low. Although, in Hungary there are networks which provide special counselling for women and support them when it comes to their (re)integration into the labour market. In Western Europe, such as the Netherlands and Norway, the situation is more favourable, employers are more flexible and part-time job is a frequent option offered. However, the up-to-date level of skills of parental leavers coming back to work may be a challenge in these countries too. The duration and generosity of paid parental leave seems to affect when (after what time) parents return to work. The period of leave cannot be too short, nor too long. The optimal length of the leave varies greatly depending on national conditions and cultural frameworks. In any case, it should not be so long that the parental leavers become uninteresting for the labour market and lose working competence (Kalb, 2018; Whitehouse, Romaniuk, Lucas & Nicholson, 2013).This project has been funded with support from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission

Facilitation of Employability for Maternity and Parental Leavers in Europe: A Scoping Review

This report presents the findings of an European project concerning facilitation of employability for parental leavers in European countries. The conclusions and recommendations in this report build on comparisons of relevant European policy documents, country nates from five European countries (France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovakia) and a search in relevant databases. Taken together, these data form an approximate scoping review - to map a wide range of literature. Both the concepts of maternal and parental leave are used in the present report. Research related to leave in connection with young children use the term maternity leave until the last decades where more frequent parental leave is used. We are aware that a distinction between parental and maternity leave does not apply in same countries. A main finding is that parental leave and employability is a complex and context sensitive area. This relates to the fact that parental leave must be seen in connection with both individual, organisational, cultural, historical and political (legislative) issues on both national and European level. In this study, the focus has been mainly descriptive on the political (legislative) level, while a more interpretative analysis is made on how to develop tools and educational programs concerning development of employability skills relevant for parental leavers and employers. Analysis of the situation regarding parental leavers' employment in the partner countries shows that maternal employment in France, Slovakia and Hungary is rather low. Although, in Hungary there are networks which provide special counselling for women and support them when it comes to their (re)integration into the labour market. In Western Europe, such as the Netherlands and Norway, the situation is more favourable, employers are more flexible and part-time job is a frequent option offered. However, the up-to-date level of skills of parental leavers coming back to work may be a challenge in these countries too. The duration and generosity of paid parental leave seems to affect when (after what time) parents return to work. The period of leave cannot be too short, nor too long. The optimal length of the leave varies greatly depending on national conditions and cultural frameworks. In any case, it should not be so long that the parental leavers become uninteresting for the labour market and lose working competence (Kalb, 2018; Whitehouse, Romaniuk, Lucas & Nicholson, 2013)

Neonatal Vitamin A Supplementation and Vitamin A Status Are Associated with Gut Microbiome Composition in Bangladeshi Infants in Early Infancy and at 2 Years of Age

BackgroundInfancy is a crucial period for establishing the intestinal microbiome. This process may be influenced by vitamin A (VA) status because VA affects intestinal immunity and epithelial integrity, factors that can, in turn, modulate microbiome development.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine if neonatal VA supplementation (VAS) affected the abundance of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial commensal, or of Proteobacteria, a phylum containing enteric pathogens, in early (6-15 wk) or late (2 y) infancy. Secondary objectives were to determine if VAS affected the abundance of other bacterial taxa, and to determine if VA status assessed by measuring plasma retinol was associated with bacterial abundance.MethodsThree hundred and six Bangladeshi infants were randomized by sex and birthweight status (above/below median) to receive 1 VA dose (50,000 IU) or placebo within 48 h of birth. Relative abundance at the genus level and above was assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A terminal restriction fragment-length polymorphism assay was used to identify Bifidobacterium species and subspecies at 6 wk.ResultsLinear regression showed that Bifidobacterium abundance in early infancy was lower in boys (median, 1st/3rd quartiles; 0.67, 0.52/0.78) than girls (0.73, 0.60/0.80; P = 0.003) but that boys receiving VAS (0.69, 0.55/0.78) had higher abundance than boys receiving placebo (0.65, 0.44/0.77; P = 0.039). However this difference was not seen in girls (VAS 0.71, 0.54/0.80; placebo 0.75, 0.63/0.81; P = 0.25). VAS did not affect Proteobacteria abundance. Sex-specific associations were also seen for VA status, including positive associations of plasma retinol with Actinobacteria (the phylum containing Bifidobacterium) and Akkermansia, another commensal with possible health benefits, for girls in late infancy.ConclusionsBetter VA status in infancy may influence health both in infancy and later in life by promoting the establishment of a healthy microbiota. This postulated effect of VA may differ between boys and girls. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02027610