Are storks striking for a contract renewal? Childbirth under changing employment, family and welfare arrangements: full research report

Abstract

Using three international sources of longitudinal household data (Europe, Italy and UK), this project examined the social and employment circumstances that help predict the timing of people entering the labour market and childbirth. This was done at individual and household level. In particular, it focused on how some unobservable traits, preferences and characteristics that make people different from one another, influenced careers and how employment and fertility choices were jointly determined.

The aims were:

* Identify how uncertainty in employment influences childbirth decisions
* Establish if employment and decisions to have children are interrelated
* Explore if, and how, men's and women's employment decisions relate to joint childbirth choices.