Family and labour market dynamics 2400-ENSM079B
The course will cover various aspects of family and labour market dynamics in OECD countries / Europe, such as:
• Family change, its causes and consequences
• Interrelationships between labour force participation and family-related behaviours (union formation and dissolution childbearing)
• Labour market outcomes of mothers and fathers
• Gender division of paid and unpaid labour
• The role of policies and cultural norms in shaping the relationships between family-related behaviours and labour force participation
During the course the student will also learn how to conduct empirical research (formulate research hypotheses, design an empirical study, analyse and interpret the data and draw conclusions) and prepare a scientific publication.
The aim of the course will be to support students in preparing their master thesis on one of the above mentioned topics. In order to pass the course, the students will have to develop an idea for the master thesis, conduct a literature review, propose research hypotheses and propose and conduct an empirical study to test these hypotheses with the use of quantitative methods and finally prepare the master thesis.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of the course students will learn how to conduct basic empirical study: conduct a literature review, formulae research objectives, design the empirical study, prepare, analyse and interpret the data and draw conclusions. The will also gain knowledge on various aspects of the interrelationships between family and labour market dynamics.
Assessment criteria
Following aspects of the thesis will be taken into account in the evaluation process:
• Knowledge and understanding of the studied topic
• Completeness of the literature review
• Ability to formulate research objectives
• The quality of the empirical study
• Ability to interpret the data and draw conclusions
• Ability of critical thinking
• Writing ability
Bibliography
Becker, Gary S. 1985. Human Capital, Effort, and the Sexual Division of Labor. Journal of Labor Economics 3(1, part 2), pp. S33–58.
Blau FD and Kahn LM (2017) The gender wage gap: Extent, trends, and explanations. Journal of Economic Literature 55(3): 789-865.
Correll, Shelley J., Benard, Stephen, & Paik, In. (2007). Getting a Job: Is There a Motherhood Penalty? American Journal of Sociology, 112(5), 1297-1339. doi: 10.1086/511799
Esping-Andersen, G., Gallie, D., Hemerijck, A., & Myles, J. (2002). Why we need a new welfare state. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Goldscheider, F., bernhardt, E. & Lappegård, T. 2015. The Gender Revolution: A Framework for Understanding Changing Family and Demographic Behavior. Population and Development Review, 41, 207-239.
Kreyenfeld, Michaela, & Andersson, Gunnar. (2014). Socioeconomic differences in the unemployment and fertility nexus: Evidence from Denmark and Germany. Advances in Life Course Research, 21, 59-73. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2014.01.007
Matysiak, A., Sobotka, T. & Vignoli, D. 2020. The Great Recession and Fertility in Europe: A Sub-National Analysis. European Journal of Population, forthcoming
Matysiak, A., Węziak-Białowolska, D. 2016, Country-specific conditions of work and family reconciliation. An Attempt at Quantification. European Journal of Population 32:475–510.
Matysiak, A., Nitsche, N., 2016, Emerging Trends: Family Formation and Gender. In: Scott, R., Buchmann M., Kosslyn S. (eds.) Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-1-118-90077-2.
Matysiak A., Vignoli D. 2008. Fertility and women’s employment: a meta-analysis, European Journal of Population 24:363–384
OECD 2015. In It Together. Why Less Inequality Benefits All, Paris.
OECD 2017. The great divergence(s). . OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Papers, 39.
Schneider, N., Kreyenfeld, M., Handbook of Family Sociology, Edward Elgar Publishing (selected chapters)
Steiber, Nadia, Berghammer, Caroline, & Haas, Barbara. (2016). Contextualizing the Education Effect on Women's Employment: A Cross-National Comparative Analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(1), 246-261. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12256
World Bank 2018. Growing United. Upgrading europe's Convergence Machine, Washington.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: