Speaker: Chen-Hao Hsu (University of Bamberg)

Title: How women’s employment instability affects birth transitions? The moderating role of family policies in 27 European Countries

Abstract:

Why women in some countries are more likely than others to postpone childbirth when facing employment instability? This study uses 2010-2019 EU-SILC panel data to explore whether women’s unemployment and temporary employment affect their first- and second-birth transitions and how such patterns differ across 27 European countries. Results show that while unemployment and temporary employment generally delay women’s first- and second-birth transition, such effects vary across European countries and depend on the levels of family policy provisions. More generous family cash benefits may mitigate the negative effects of women’s unemployment on the first birth and temporary employment on the second birth transitions. On the other hand, the effect of women’s employment instability depends less on the length of paid maternity/parental leaves. Most strikingly, higher childcare coverage rates are associated with more negative effects of women’s temporary employment on the first birth and unemployment on the second birth transitions.