The Population, Society and Inequality Series presents

"Do it Both, but How? How Women Combine Work and Childbearing in Four European Countries"
with Giulia Dotti Sani, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Italy

Tuesday, February 21, 2012
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Social Sciences Plaza B, Room 4250

Over the second half of the 20th century female labor market participation increased substantially in all western countries, while fertility rates dramatically declined. While economic theory emphasizes the negative relation between being in paid employment and childbearing, empirical evidence shows that women tend to have more children in countries with higher female labor market participation.  This talk aims at investigating what strategies households adopt to reach their working-reproductive equilibrium. Sani will build on previous research while introducing two innovative features. Firstly, as the decisions of working and childbearing are closely intertwined, Sani considers the joint probability women have of being in paid labor and having one or more children in international comparison. Secondly, while literature has shown the importance of individual characteristics and institutional settings, Sani introduces a third level of analysis by incorporating characteristics of the partner. Analysis are done using Eu-Silc data and in a strictly comparative fashion.  Preliminary results show that the combinations of work and motherhood vary quite a lot between European countries, and that educational attainment - both individual and of the partner - is an important determinant of the work-motherhood equilibrium.

The lecture is sponsored by the UCI Center for Demographic and Social Analysis.

For further information, please contact Sandy Cushman, scushman@uci.edu or 949-824-3344.