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Absence from Work after the Birth of the First Child and Mothers’ Retirement Incomes: A Comparative Analysis of 10 European Countries

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  • Giulia M Dotti Sani

    (University of Milano Statale, Italy)

  • Matteo Luppi

    (National Institute of Public Policy Analysis (INAPP), Italy)

Abstract

This article investigates whether a prolonged absence from the workforce after the birth of the first child is associated with mothers having a lower retirement income and whether cross-national variations in family policy and pension systems moderate the relationship between work interruptions and retirement incomes in 10 European countries. The analysis, based on five waves of SHARE data, indicates that the longer a mother abstains from work after the birth of her first child, the lower her retirement income is. However, the association is negligible in countries where mothers are historically supported by a comprehensive welfare system, namely Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. The findings indicate that generous work–family reconciliation policies and a universally oriented pensions system are most effective in minimising long-term motherhood income penalties when they are jointly present, pointing to the importance of policy packages that combine active and passive measures to achieve dual decommodification.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulia M Dotti Sani & Matteo Luppi, 2021. "Absence from Work after the Birth of the First Child and Mothers’ Retirement Incomes: A Comparative Analysis of 10 European Countries," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(3), pages 470-489, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:35:y:2021:i:3:p:470-489
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017020937935
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    Cited by:

    1. Gianluca Busilacchi & Giovanni Gallo & Matteo Luppi, 2022. "I would like to but I cannot. The determinants of involuntary part-time employment: Evidence from Italy," Center for the Analysis of Public Policies (CAPP) 0177, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    2. Gianluca Busilacchi & Giovanni Gallo & Matteo Luppi, 2024. "I Would Like to but I Cannot: What Influences the Involuntariness of Part-Time Employment in Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(2), pages 439-473, June.
    3. Anat Herbst-Debby, 2023. "What’s Your Pension Story? Women’s Perspectives during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Old-Age Pension Status, Past and Present," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-20, May.
    4. Carla Rowold, 2024. "Full-time employment is all that matters? Quantifying the role of relevant and gender-exclusive life course experiences for gender inequalities," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2024-021, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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