Do parental leaves make the motherhood wage penalty worse? Assessing two decades of German reforms

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.31235/osf.io/f2nrc ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriele Mari ◽

Giorgio Cutuli

Keyword(s):

Parental Leave ◽

Substantial Improvement ◽

Wage Penalty ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Individual Level ◽

Employed Women ◽

Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽

Wage Penalties ◽

Causal Impact ◽

The Individual

Women-friendly policies may have perverse effects on the wages of employed women and mothers in particular. Yet few have addressed the causal impact of such policies and the mechanisms they might trigger at the individual level to produce such wage responses. We assess if and how two decades of reforms of parental leave schemes in Germany have shaped changes in the motherhood wage penalty over time. We compare two sweeps of reforms inspired by opposite principles, one allowing for longer periods out of paid work, the other prompting quicker re-entry in the labour market. We deploy panel data (G-SOEP 1985-2014) and a within-person difference-in-differences design. Motherhood wage penalties were found to be harsher than previously assessed in the 1990s. As parental leave reform triggered longer time spent on leave coupled with better tenure accumulation, wage losses for mothers remained stable in this first period. Conversely, we can no longer detect motherhood wage penalties for women affected by the later reform. Shorter career breaks and increased work hours may have benefited new mothers in the late 2000s, leading to a substantial improvement in their wage prospects.

Download Full-text

Do Parental Leaves Make the Motherhood Wage Penalty Worse?

European Sociological Review ◽

10.1093/esr/jcaa048 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriele Mari ◽

Giorgio Cutuli

Keyword(s):

Parental Leave ◽

Wage Penalty ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Work Interruptions ◽

Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

Wage Penalties ◽

Zero Sum ◽

Wage Disparities ◽

First Time

Abstract We assess if and how motherhood wage penalties change in response to the design of parental leave regulations. Focusing on Germany, we compare sweeps of reforms inspired by opposite principles. One allowed for longer periods out of paid work in the 1990s, the other prompted quicker re-entry in the labour market in the late 2000s. These reforms may have first exacerbated and later mitigated wage losses for new mothers, albeit each component of leave schemes may trigger separate, and at times zero-sum, mechanisms. We rely on Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data and a difference-in-differences design. Focusing on first-time mothers, we find that motherhood wage penalties were substantial (around 20–30 per cent of pre-birth wages) and also changed little during the 1990s. As parental leave reform triggered longer time spent on leave coupled with better tenure accumulation, wage losses for mothers remained stable in this first period. Following parental leave reform in the late 2000s, instead, the wage prospects of first-time mothers improved, thanks in part to shorter work interruptions and increased work hours. We suggest that the nuts and bolts of leave schemes can be fine-tuned to reduce child penalties and, thus, gender wage disparities.

Download Full-text

Introduction

Father Involvement In the Early Years ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447318996.003.0008 ◽

2015 ◽

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Father Involvement ◽

Parental Leave ◽

Welfare States ◽

Policy Regimes ◽

Individual Level ◽

Structural Context ◽

The Individual ◽

Key Aspects ◽

Workplace Cultures

After outlining the key aspects of the changing social, cultural, and policy context of parenting in Western societies, the introduction clarifies terminology and key concepts used throughout the book, such as the distinction among fatherhood, fathering, and types of fathers. It also presents the theoretical framework used to examine father involvement with young children in six countries. This includes the fatherhood regime, fathers’ agency gap and capability to care for children, and gendered care and workplace cultures. In addition, the structural context of welfare states and policy regimes is reviewed to frame the institutional support for father involvement, such as compensated paternity and parental leave. At the individual level father involvement is conceptualized as encompassing engagement, accessibility and responsibility as expressed in the type and quantity of time of fathers’ activities with their young children. Finally, the chapter briefly outlines the structure of the book.

Download Full-text

First-Birth Timing and the Motherhood Wage Gap in 140 Occupations

Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World ◽

10.1177/2378023120939424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 237802312093942

Author(s):

Liana Christin Landivar

Keyword(s):

Multilevel Models ◽

Wage Gap ◽

Capital Requirements ◽

First Birth ◽

Wage Penalty ◽

Delayed Childbearing ◽

Early Motherhood ◽

Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽

High Earning ◽

Wage Penalties

Is delayed fertility associated with a reduced motherhood wage gap in all occupations? Using multilevel models and data from the 2011–2015 American Community Survey, O*NET, and the Current Population Survey, I examine whether delayed fertility is associated with a reduced motherhood wage gap in 140 occupations. Delayed childbearing is one strategy women use to mitigate the motherhood wage penalty. Findings indicate that mothers in high-earning professional occupations experienced the largest wage penalties with early motherhood but also the largest premiums with delayed childbearing. Although delaying a first birth mitigated the motherhood wage penalty in high-wage occupations requiring extensive career preparation, the majority of women who worked in lower wage occupations with more limited human capital requirements experienced no economic benefit from older motherhood. These results challenge the broader narrative that most women can improve their long-term earnings and partly overcome the structural motherhood wage gap by delaying fertility.

Download Full-text

Motherhood Wage Penalties in Latin America: The Significance of Labor Informality

Social Forces ◽

10.1093/sf/soz142 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 99 (1) ◽

pp. 59-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aida Villanueva ◽

Ken-Hou Lin

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Latin American ◽

Wage Gap ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Wage Penalty ◽

Childless Women ◽

Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽

Wage Penalties ◽

Intervening Factors ◽

Latin American Countries

Abstract revious research has established the presence of a motherhood wage penalty in many developed societies; however, whether mothers face similar disadvantages in developing countries remains underexplored. This article argues that different intervening factors emerge when considering mothers’ labor compensation in developing contexts. Labor informality, a key characteristic of labor markets in developing countries, could play a significant role in shaping the wage consequence of motherhood. Using microdata from 43 national household surveys conducted between 2000 and 2017, we analyze five Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. After accounting for selection into employment and human capital, we find that mothers receive lower wages than childless women in all five countries. The penalties are similar to those found in some developed countries, ranging from 12 percent in Brazil to 21 percent in Chile. Mothers’ higher likelihood to work in the informal sector accounts for part of the wage gap.

Download Full-text

NATURAL DISASTERS AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: THE CASE OF JAPAN AND THE 2011 TRIPLE DISASTER

Journal of East Asian Studies ◽

10.1017/jea.2019.26 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 361-381

Author(s):

Matthew D. Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Political Participation ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Voter Turnout ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Individual Level ◽

Percent Increase ◽

The Individual ◽

Political Groups ◽

Identification Strategy

AbstractWhat effect do natural disasters have on political participation? Some argue that natural disasters decrease political participation because of the way they reduce individual and group resources. Others argue that they stimulate political participation by creating new social norms. Previous studies have been limited both by their focus on a specific disaster type and a lack of regional variation. This article advances the literature by assessing the effect of the 2011 triple disaster in Japan on political participation at both the individual and district level. Drawing on multiple sources of data, I use a difference-in-differences identification strategy to show that the 2011 triple disaster in Japan resulted in a 6 percent increase in participation in political groups in regions heavily affected by the disaster, and a 2.5 percent increase in voter turnout in districts in prefectures that were significantly affected by the disaster. The results also show that the effect at the individual level is largely confined to individuals with large social networks, suggesting that the effect of natural disasters on political participation is a combination of their direct and indirect impact on variables that operate through different subpopulations. Directions for future studies are suggested.

Download Full-text

How to Divide Paid Work and Unpaid Care between Parents? Comparison of Attitudes in 22 Western Countries

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci7100188 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 188 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Milla Salin ◽

Minna Ylikännö ◽

Mia Hakovirta

Keyword(s):

Parental Leave ◽

Equal Division ◽

Paid Work ◽

Unpaid Care ◽

Individual Level ◽

Western Countries ◽

Traditional Gender Roles ◽

Country Level ◽

Eastern European Countries ◽

The Individual

Sharing responsibilities for paid work and unpaid care between men and women is recognised as one of the challenges that Western countries face in the 21st century. This article examines attitudes towards sharing paid work and unpaid care responsibilities in 22 Western countries by addressing the following questions. (1) How do attitudes towards different earner-carer models vary across countries? (2) Which socio-demographic and country-level factors explain differences in attitudes to an equal division of paid work and unpaid care responsibilities? International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) data 2012 is used as the data source and research methods include logistic multi-level regression analysis. Results reveal that cross-national variations in attitudes are significant: Most traditional attitudes are found in many Eastern European countries, whereas Nordic countries are the least traditional. At the individual level, those who are highly educated, in paid work, single, childless, and religiously non-active support the equal division of paid work and unpaid care responsibilities more often than other respondents. At the country level, longer father-specific parental leave, a stronger tradition of women’s paid work, and less traditional gender roles are related to stronger support for an equal division of paid work and unpaid care.

Download Full-text

Differential Effects of Competence and Morality on Self-Esteem at the Individual and the Collective Level

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 183-198

Author(s):

Wiktor Soral ◽

Mirosław Kofta

Keyword(s):

Self Esteem ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Subject ◽

The Individual

Abstract. The importance of various trait dimensions explaining positive global self-esteem has been the subject of numerous studies. While some have provided support for the importance of agency, others have highlighted the importance of communion. This discrepancy can be explained, if one takes into account that people define and value their self both in individual and in collective terms. Two studies ( N = 367 and N = 263) examined the extent to which competence (an aspect of agency), morality, and sociability (the aspects of communion) promote high self-esteem at the individual and the collective level. In both studies, competence was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the individual level, whereas morality was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the collective level.

Download Full-text

Empirical analysis of trait models at the individual level

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633912013-137 ◽

2004 ◽

Author(s):

James W. Grice

Keyword(s):

Empirical Analysis ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Individual

Download Full-text

Metonymy in Dance: Ballet Bunheads Take a Cognitive Turn

Dance Research ◽

10.3366/drs.2019.0251 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 18-34

Author(s):

Edward C. Warburton

Keyword(s):

Identity Formation ◽

Cognitive Science ◽

Artistic Development ◽

Individual Level ◽

Figures Of Speech ◽

Self Image ◽

Level I ◽

Dance Educators ◽

The Individual ◽

Metaphor And Metonymy

This essay considers metonymy in dance from the perspective of cognitive science. My goal is to unpack the roles of metaphor and metonymy in dance thought and action: how do they arise, how are they understood, how are they to be explained, and in what ways do they determine a person's doing of dance? The premise of this essay is that language matters at the cultural level and can be determinative at the individual level. I contend that some figures of speech, especially metonymic labels like ‘bunhead’, can not only discourage but dehumanize young dancers, treating them not as subjects who dance but as objects to be danced. The use of metonymy to sort young dancers may undermine the development of healthy self-image, impede strong identity formation, and retard creative-artistic development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of metonymy in dance and implications for dance educators.

Download Full-text