Using German administrative data from the 1960s onward, this paper (i) examines the long-term evolution of child-related gender inequality in earnings and (ii) assesses the impact of family policies on this inequality. Our first (methodological) contribution is a decomposition approach that...

This paper examines how the necessary socio-ecological transformation can be shaped through welfare state institutions and measures in such a way that it does not cause social tensions and avoids any new environmentally harmful maladjustments, but rather is as socially just and ecologically...

I develop and estimate a life-cycle discrete-choice model of fertility and female labor supply to study the optimal design of a range of child-related policies. First, I examine two German reforms that introduced wage-contingent parental leave payments and expanded access to low-cost public...

Contrary to the expectation that only ratifying States comply with ILO Conventions, this article argues that even non-ratifying States improve their domestic standards consistent with ILO Conventions to enhance their legitimacy. Using a new historical database, I track changes in maternity leave...

This paper investigates the relationship between the implementation of the Family 500+ benefit, changes in female employment and female economic inactivity. The analysis is based on macro data and is focused on the years 2016-2019. To examine the relationship, this study uses decomposition of...

Although work-family scholars generally agree that maternal and parental leave policies affect women's labor force outcomes, the direction and extent of this effect is highly contentious. Complicating the debate, parental leave policies are measured in a variety of ways in crossnational...

While the gender pay gap between men and women in Germany remains at 18 percent, this figure is not the same for all employees. There are, for example, major differences by age. Beginning at age 30, the gender pay gap increases sharply and remains constantly high at 20 percent until retirement....

A prominent explanation for the motherhood wage penalty is human capital loss during career interruptions around childbirth. This study provides first direct evidence on this mechanism by examining whether longer parenting leave reduces mothers' work-relevant skills. Using a newly constructed...

We provide a full reexamination of the effects of a maternity leave extension implemented in Norway in 1977. Previous research reporting large favorable long-term effects on mothers' health and on offspring's educational and labor market outcomes relied on an incorrect description of the reform...

This paper examines the impact of two major family policies on maternal health, using rich claims data from the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD). We report a significant short-term impact of childcare on diagnosed respiratory diseases and heterogeneous effects on mental...

I use the universe of tax returns in Germany and a regression kink design to estimate the impacts of mothers' parental leave benefit amounts on couple earnings inequality. I make use of a benefits cap to estimate the causal impacts for high-earning women; a group for which earnings inequality is...

Russia's Maternity Capital program, launched in 2007, is a key policy with an obvious pronatalist focus aimed at countering the country's long-term depopulation trend by encouraging families to have more children. Initially, providing financial incentives for second and subsequent births. The...

This study investigates the influence of the male breadwinner norm on fathers' decisions regarding childcare responsibilities. We study the complex interplay between economic factors and gender norms in shaping the division of household labor within families by analyzing the impact a...

Do religious beliefs affect responses to fertility incentives? We examine a 1982 maternity benefits expansion in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in a difference-in-differences framework with similar East European countries as comparisons. To isolate the importance of religion, we compare women who...

Using German administrative data from the 1960s onward, this paper (i) examines the long-term evolution of child-related gender inequality in earnings and (ii) assesses the impact of family policies on this inequality. Our first (methodological) contribution is a decomposition approach that...

Aimed at increasing the adoption rate of older children, Minnesota's 2015 Northstar Care Program eliminated the adoption penalty (the decrease in fostering-based financial transfers associated with adoption) for children aged six and older, while maintaining it for children under age six. Using...

In many OECD countries, women are underrepresented in the highest status, highest paying positions and overrepresented in the lowest status, lowest paying positions. One potential reason for this inequity is the “motherhood penalty,” where women with children face more roadblocks in hiring...

Der demografische Alterungsprozess, der in Deutschland aktuell in eine akute Phase tritt, erzeugt Risiken für die langfristige Tragfähigkeit der öffentlichen Finanzen. Die im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums der Finanzen erstellte Studie leistet Vorarbeiten für den Sechsten...

This paper examines how the necessary socio-ecological transformation can be shaped through welfare state institutions and measures in such a way that it does not cause social tensions and avoids any new environmentally harmful maladjustments, but rather is as socially just and ecologically...

This paper examines the impact of the 2014 Italian divorce law on help-seeking behavior of domestic violence victims and femicides. I find that contrary to expectations, the reform, which aimed to make divorce cheaper while requiring mutual consent, led to a decrease in help-seeking behavior...

We study the fertility effects of the 1997 Quebec Family Policy, which introduced universal childcare and simultaneously ended its newborn allowance. Using a 20% sample of Canadian tax returns, we find that the reform reduced overall fertility at the intensive margin but had varying impacts by...

Over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in family dynamics and labor market interactions, with shifts in fertility, marriage, divorce, cohabitation, family labor supply, gender inequality, and childrearing. This chapter examines the impact of government policies on these...

Over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in family dynamics and labor market interactions, with shifts in fertility, marriage, divorce, cohabitation, family labor supply, gender inequality, and childrearing. This chapter examines the impact of government policies on these...