Corporate Welfare, Flexible Work and Fertility Intentions

Maida Juni , 1Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED-CERCA), UAB, Bellaterra
Agnese Vitali, University of Trento

Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe. The difficulty of balancing work and family life is often cited as one of the structural causes of this situation. Consequently, workplace family-related benefits (e.g., childcare support) are essential for improving the current context. This paper analyses the association between family-friendly workplace benefits and the intention to have children among women and men using data from the 2016 Italian Survey on Family and Social Subjects (FFS). We expand existing research by distinguishing between two types of workplace benefits: flexible working arrangements (e.g., for childcare) and other family-related benefits (e.g., childcare services). Regression analysis reveals that having flexible work arrangements is positively associated with women's and men's intention to have a (n other). Furthermore, we find a significant interaction between workplace flexibility and the number of children, i.e., individuals who already have children exhibit a reduced likelihood of intending to have a second child. Finally, we find that when the employer covers at least a portion of the expenses for family-related services, it significantly impacts men’s but not women’s fertility intentions.

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 Presented in Session 76. Fertility and Work Environment