scholarly journals Policy Changes, Employment, and Single Parenthood in Finland

2005 ◽  
pp. 29-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Forssén ◽  
Anita Haataja ◽  
Mia Hakovirta
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Single Mothers ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Policy System ◽  
Single Parenthood ◽  
The Family ◽  
Market Status

The labor supply of mothers is in? uenced by womens preferences and labor market conditions, as well as by family policy packages which enable families to reconcile work and family life. This article deepens the understanding about why Finnish single mothers are facing higher unemployment risks than mothers in two-parent families. The main question is how the changes in the Finnish family policy system have affected the economic and labor market status of single mothers in the last part of the 1990s. Have the changes in family policy affected their entry / re-entry into the labor market? Or can these changes in employment rate be explained by mothers personal decisions. Single parents were more vulnerable compared to partnered mothers in parental leave reforms and in the Family reform package in 1994. Changes in the labor market have had an impact on the situation of mothers with small children. One group of mothers can enjoy the full provision of leaves, bene? ts and job security, but an increased share of mothers have become dependent on only basic bene? ts. In this respect, the inequality among mothers has increased.

scholarly journals Föräldraledig nu eller senare? Invandrade kvinnors användning av föräldrapenning

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Zofie Duvander ◽  
Eleonora Mussino
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Native Women ◽  
Immigrant Mothers ◽  
Market Status ◽  
High Level ◽  
Labour Market Status

Parental leave now or later? Immigrant women’s use of parental leave bene t Sweden is a welfare state with a family policy that strongly emphasizes equality without distinction according to place of birth or gender. In this study, we investigate the di erences in uptake of parental leave between native and immigrant women, and the connection to labour-market attachment. Sweden represents a unique case study, not only because of the strong e ort to combine work and family for all women and men, the high level of fertility and the large presence of immigrants in the country; it also enables a detailed and sophisticated analysis based on the high-quality data derived from its population registers. We nd that immigrant mothers use more parental leave bene t the rst year after their child’s birth, but then fewer in the second year compared to native women. e di erences diminish when labour-market status is controlled for. Additionally, after some time in Sweden, immigrant mothers use leave more similarly to how native mothers do. We conclude that labour-market status is the most decisive factor for parental leave use and we point out the relationship between labour market and family policy. 

Is maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth facilitated by mothers’ and partners’ flextime?

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1106-1128
Author(s):  
Yvonne Lott
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Event History Analysis ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
National Level ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Life Balance

How do national-level work–life balance policies shape the role of flextime in maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth? It is well known that such policies influence the adoption, provision, and support of flexible work arrangements by organizations, but whether they shape the relevance of these arrangements for workers has been neglected in past research. This article analyzes whether mothers’ and partners’ flextime facilitates maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth in Germany, where family policy reforms have been implemented in the last two decades. Event history analysis based on German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data from the years 2003–2013 revealed that mothers were more likely to re-enter the labor market if they had used flextime before childbirth. However, this effect existed only before the implementation of family policy reforms, namely the introduction of parental leave in 2007 and the expansion of public childcare. Moreover, the use of flextime before childbirth did not encourage mothers to maintain previous work hours (the legal right to work part time has existed in Germany since 2001). Partners’ use of flextime before childbirth was found to be less relevant for mothers’ return to work after childbirth. The analysis indicates that generous national-level work–life balance policies can diminish the effectiveness of organizational work–life balance policies for mothers’ employment behavior.

scholarly journals Family policies’ long-term effects on poverty: a comparative analysis of single and partnered mothers

2022 ◽  
pp. 095892872110356
Author(s):  
Hannah Zagel ◽  
Wim Van Lancker
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Single Mothers ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
The Other ◽  
Family Policies ◽  
Child Benefits ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Over Time

This study investigates whether generous family policies at the transition to parenthood reduce single and partnered mothers’ economic disadvantages later in the life course. Previous research usually focused on the immediate effects of family policies and disregards potential longer-term effects. In this study, we suggest taking a life-course perspective to study the relationships between family policy and mothers’ poverty risks. We empirically investigate how investment in child benefits, childcare services and parental leave measures at the transition to parenthood are associated with poverty outcomes at later life stages and whether these associations hold over time. We draw on pooled EU-SILC data, and an original policy dataset based on OECD expenditure data for child benefits, childcare and parental leave from 1994 to 2015. We find that mothers’ observed increase in poverty over time is slower in countries with high levels of spending for childcare at the transition to parenthood than in lower spending countries. The gap between partnered and single mothers was also diminishing in contexts of high childcare expenditure. For the other two policies, we did not find these links. These results do lend support to the claim that childcare is a prime example of a social investment policy with returns later in the life course and represents a life-course policy that seems to be able to disrupt economic path dependencies. The results for the other two policies suggest, however, a limited potential of family policy spending at transition to parenthood to reduce the poverty gap between partnered and single mothers over the course of life.

scholarly journals Conclusions: Parenting in Times of Prevailing Inequalities

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-107
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Suwada
Keyword(s):  
Family Policy ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Policy System ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Key Points ◽  
The Family ◽  
Polish Society

AbstractThe final chapter of the book briefly summarises the key points of the previous chapters and addresses the central conclusions of the book. I underline how analysing parenting from the perspective of three types of work (paid work, care work and domestic work) help to recognise prevailing gender and economic inequalities in Polish society. I also argue that the opportunity structures of mothers and fathers greatly differ, and that it has its sources in the family policy system.

scholarly journals FEATURES OF FAMILY POLICY IN EUROPE

2020 ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Svitlana Batychenko
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Full Time

Goal. Analysis of the peculiarities of family policy in European countries, such as France, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain. Method. The study is based on general scientific methods, namely, analysis and synthesis, descriptive, analytical. And also socio-geographical - comparative-geographical. Results. Family policy in European countries focuses on the life position of young people, promotes gender equality, creates opportunities to combine work, education and family activities through a well-developed infrastructure. The establishment of the modern family model in which both parents work and the expansion of public education and services for children and families reduce relatively high child poverty, create new jobs in services, and reduce social inequality. Although European countries pursue a common family-gender strategy, they also have their own traditional model of family protection. The Scandinavian model is characterized by comprehensive support for working parents with young children (under the age of three) through a combination of material mechanisms, holidays and wide access to childcare facilities. An important aspect is the policy of gender equality and women's integration in the labor market. The main source of funding for family policy - taxes. Anglo-Saxon - is characterized by deliberately less financial support from families by the state, giving priority to low-income families. The main idea is the non-interference of the state in family and marriage processes and ensuring the well-being of families through the general development of the welfare of society. "Napoleonic" - use intangible forms of support: tax benefits, targeted loans. France has the highest level of state support for families with children and support for working women. The principle of subsidiary security is professed. Taxes and financial contributions are used. The German fiscal system does not encourage couples to work equally, as the tax burden on domestic work is much higher for two full-time employees. Parental leave allows mothers to leave the labor market for up to three years for one child. Scientific novelty. Analysis and comparison of family policy features in European countries. Practical significance. Implementation of family policy measures in domestic practice based on the experience of European countries, choosing the most successful option. The best option is to improve the demographic situation in the country.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WELFARE AND FAMILY SUPPORT AS A DIRECTION OF HUNGARIAN SOCIAL POLICY

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
A. Shubchynska ◽  
L. Lytva
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Support System ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Family Values ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
The Family

The author investigates the transformation processes of family values, preconditions that have influenced the emergence of the familism in Hungarian society. The article deals with the analysis of the main characteristics of neo-familism as the dominant social phenomenon of the present, which directly impacts the Hungarian family policy and determines the further direction of the family support system formation. It has been noted that familism is a complex concept and can be interpreted from different perspectives. This term is revealed through the prism of personal and family values, norms, interpersonal and social relations, as well as governance systems strategies. In this article, familism is discussed mainly as a system of governance measures, disclosed through the demonstration of social, in particular, family policy strategies, as well as instruments of its regulation. Hungarian family policy and the effects of familism on it are described and analysed in several characteristics, such as types of financial support, supporting measures to facilitate parents' participation in the labour market and the social services systems. It is proved that, in comparison with other European Union countries, the parental support system of childcare in Hungary is one of the most comprehensive. On the basis of the analysis, it has been concluded that the Hungarian family support system was formed under the influence of the consequences of historical events and political ideologies. The key factors, which are determining the direction of the system transformation today, are both post-socialism and Europeanisation at the same time. The analysis of the historical preconditions of the family policy formation and its modern regulatory instruments classifies the Hungarian support system as optional familism, which provides universal financial support to families, a comprehensive system of parental leave and childcare allowances, tax deductions, public nursery and kindergarten services. The author also underlines the significance of analysing the Hungarian welfare system and social services which support not only families in difficult life circumstances but also middle-class families.

The Political Economy of Women's Work

1980 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-346
Author(s):  
John Sharpless ◽  
John Rury
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
The Political ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Female Labor ◽  
Cultural Variables ◽  
The Family ◽  
Dramatic Rise

Recent work in women's history suggests that the dramatic rise in female labor force participation in the first decades of the twentieth century cannot be understood solely in terms of labor market forces. Although thedemandfor female labor increased substantially between 1900 and 1920 (Oppenheimer, 1970), such variables as religion, education, ethnicity, and social class interacted to determine thesupplyof women available for hire at any one time. It should not be surprising, therefore, that “cultural” variables such as these also served to limit the ability of women to improve their position in the labor market generally. This article will examine the ways in which the family and work environments interacted to determine the responsiveness of working women to different sorts of organizations which (theoretically) could have assisted them in altering the basic conditions of their work and family experiences.

scholarly journals SINGLE–PARENT FAMILIES–SOCIAL STATUS, NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Anita Burgund ◽  
◽  
Marina Pantelic ◽  
Marko Milanovic ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Single Mothers ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Single Parenthood ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
Societal Values ◽  
Structure Changes ◽  
The Family ◽  
Modern Family ◽  
New Policies

There is no doubt that pluralization of society and societal conditions have an impact on the modern family, its role and structure. Changes in the hierarchy of societal values and attitude of society towards family lead to significant changes in its structure and way of functioning. The image of the family consisting of father, mother and children has more often been replaced by the image of families with one parent and children. There are multiple causes of single-parent families (single parenthood) such as death, divorce, abandonment of the family by one of the parents, etc. The positions and attitude of society towards single-parent families is different and it’s actually depending on the cause of their occurrence. The aim of this paper was to identify basic needs and challenges of single-parent families in Serbia. For this purpose, we have organized three focus groups with 18 single mothers (six in each focus group). The results are presented in the context of creating new policies for improving the position of single-parent families in Serbia.

The unequal benefits of activation: an analysis of the social distribution of family policy among families with young children

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 472-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris Ghysels ◽  
Wim Van Lancker
Keyword(s):  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Budgetary Impact ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The Social ◽  
Subsidized Childcare ◽  
Redistributive Effect

In the last few decades, measures to reconcile work and family life have risen in mutual interaction with a rising rate of dual earnership. However, dual earnership has (to date) been adopted in a socially uneven way in most European societies. Therefore, one may wonder whether the activation measures have brought about a loss of vertical redistribution in welfare states. We address this question by focusing on the interaction of three measures of family policy and their overall distributional effect in Europe, with the Belgian region of Flanders as the case in point. We develop a fine-grained analysis to reveal the budgetary impact of the variation in use and generosity, and find that today in Flanders the redistributive effect of child benefits is largely undone by subsidized childcare and parental leave benefits. If parents’ employment is to be generalized, this case study suggests that more attention is required regarding the universal use of reconciliation measures.

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