Working-Time Flexibility and Fertility: Evidence for Couples in Germany

Agata Kalamucka , University of Warsaw
Anna Matysiak, University of Warsaw
Beata Osiewalska, University of Warsaw (1); Cracow University of Economics (2)

The processes of globalization and the changes occurring because of the rapid diffusion of new technologies are having a significant impact on the labour market. One of the important issues arising from these transformations is the flexibilization of working time, both on the side of the employee (the opportunity to obtain the start and end times one needs, compress or extend work hours and choose when to work) and the employer (worker’s adjustment to the uncertain schedules and last-minute changes imposed by the employer). Previous studies suggest that working-time flexibility can either encourage or discourage couples from childbearing, depending on the type of flexibility, family and job context. With this study, we contribute to the literature by the comprehensive analysis of the link between childbearing and both employee- and employer-oriented flexibilities. We focus on couples and investigate both partners’ working flexibilities in order to grasp potential interdependencies between fertility and partners’ schedule synchronization. With the use of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data we perform an event history analysis of the risk of first and subsequent births. First results show that employer-oriented flexibility tends to be more prevalent in managerial positions and primarily among men, while employee-oriented flexibility is associated with higher occupational positions among both genders, with a particularly noteworthy impact on women in low occupational positions, ultimately resulting in varying birth outcomes for different couples.

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 Presented in Session 76. Fertility and Work Environment