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Employment after childbearing: a comparative study of Italy and Norway

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  • Magdalena M. Muszynska

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

In this study we look at the circumstances under which motherhood and employment are compatible. Comparing two countries, Italy and Norway, we analyze the impact of macro factors and individual characteristics on employment decisions of first- and second-time mothers. Our results show that in Norway, where flexible forms of employment are a popular way to reconcile family life and employment, not only many women start to work when their child is small, but the fertility is also relatively high. In Italy, characterized by high rigidities of the labor market and where flexible forms of employment are hardly available, relatively few mothers enter employment and fertility is low. In addition, we found that in both countries better educated women and women with more work experience return to their jobs relatively soon after childbirth. The majority of women with a low level of education and who did not work before the childbirth do not take up work when the child is small.

Suggested Citation

  • Magdalena M. Muszynska, 2004. "Employment after childbearing: a comparative study of Italy and Norway," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2004-030, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2004-030
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2004-030
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bünning, Mareike, 2017. "The association between social support networks and maternal employment: a comparison of western German, eastern German, and migrant mothers of preschool-aged children," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 20(3), pages 273-291.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Italy; Norway; female employment; fertility; working life;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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