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Balancing work and family in Italy: New mothers� employment decisions after childbirth

Author

Listed:
  • Piero Casadio

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Martina Lo Conte

    (Istat)

  • Andrea Neri

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

Compared with other European countries, the Italian labour market stands out for the low level of both female participation and fertility. In this paper we focus on the employment patterns of Italian mothers around the time of childbirth. Our hypothesis is that the difficulties involved in reconciling work and family when there are children are among the leading causes of the low female employment rate in Italy. Data from the 2002 Italian Birth Sample Survey show that about 20 per cent of mothers who were working before childbirth, stop working one and a half years after delivery and that about 14 per cent voluntarily decide to resign. The paper analyses the factors that most influence new mothers� unemployment risk after childbirth.

Suggested Citation

  • Piero Casadio & Martina Lo Conte & Andrea Neri, 2008. "Balancing work and family in Italy: New mothers� employment decisions after childbirth," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 684, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_684_08
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Massimiliano Bratti & Emilia Del Bono & Daniela Vuri, 2005. "New Mothers’ Labour Force Participation in Italy: The Role of Job Characteristics," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 19(s1), pages 79-121, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Brown & Gurleen Popli & Alessandro Sasso, 2022. "Decomposing the gender reservation wage gap in Italy: A regional perspective," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 499-540, March.
    2. Ambra Poggi & Matteo Richiardi, 2012. "Accounting for Unobserved Heterogeneity in Discrete-time, Discrete-choice Dynamic Microsimulation Models. An application to Labor Supply and Household Formation in Italy," LABORatorio R. Revelli Working Papers Series 117, LABORatorio R. Revelli, Centre for Employment Studies.
    3. Matteo Richiardi & Ambra Poggi, 2012. "Imputing Individual Effects in Dynamic Microsimulation Models. An application of the Rank Method," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 267, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    4. Matteo Richiardi & Ambra Poggi, 2014. "Imputing Individual Effects in Dynamic Microsimulation Models. An application to household formation and labour market participation in Italy," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 7(2), pages 3-39.
    5. Ross Richardson & Lia Pacelli & Ambra Poggi & Matteo Richiardi, 2018. "Female Labour Force Projections Using Microsimulation for Six EU Countries," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 11(2), pages 5-51.
    6. Barbieri, Teresa & Bavaro, Michele & Cirillo, Valeria, 2024. "Trapped in the care burden: occupational downward mobility of Italian couples after childbirth," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1475, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Concetta Rondinelli & Roberta Zizza, 2010. "(Non)persistent effects of fertility on female labour supply," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 783, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    8. Guerrazzi, Marco, 2014. "Workforce ageing and the training propensity of Italian firms: cross-sectional evidence from the INDACO survey," MPRA Paper 56826, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Anna Giraldo & Gianpiero Dalla-Zuanna & Enrico Rettore, 2015. "Childcare and participation at work in North-East Italy: Why do Italian and foreign mothers behave differently?," Statistical Methods & Applications, Springer;Società Italiana di Statistica, vol. 24(2), pages 339-358, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    female employment; childbirth; childcare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C2 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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