The Effects of Non-standard Employment on the Transition to Parenthood Within Couples: A Comparison of Germany and Austr
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The Effects of Non‑standard Employment on the Transition to Parenthood Within Couples: A Comparison of Germany and Australia Inga Laß1 Received: 28 August 2018 / Accepted: 4 December 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Using longitudinal data from Germany and Australia for the 2001‒2013 period, this study investigates the link between non-standard employment, such as fixed-term contracts, temporary agency work, part-time and casual work, and first birth within couple relationships. In contrast to previous studies, competing risks event history models are estimated to simultaneously consider couples’ risks of first birth and of partnership dissolution. The results indicate, for example, that temporary employment of the female partner, and especially temporary agency work, decreases first birth risks in both countries. This suggests that women, in their dual role as primary carer and secondary earner, seek a secure employment position to return to after parental leave. In contrast, male partner’s part-time work negatively affects the first birth risk and simultaneously increases the risk of partnership dissolution only in Australia, suggesting a more important role of men as primary earners in this country. Overall, the study highlights the twofold impact of non-standard employment on fertility, consisting of a direct influence on the first birth risk among stable couples and an indirect influence through the risk of partnership dissolution. Keywords Couples · Fertility · Dissolution · Non-standard employment · Australia · Germany
1 Introduction Recent decades have seen rising childlessness and increasing ages at first birth in many industrialised countries. Part of the explanation for these trends may be found in the interplay between the changing nature of work and childbearing decisions. A sufficient income and secure employment are widely regarded as preconditions for * Inga Laß [email protected] 1
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, L5, FBE Bldg, 111 Barry St, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
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parenthood (e.g. IfD 2013; Weston et al. 2004); however, increased labour market flexibility may have made these preconditions more difficult to meet. In recent decades, many industrialised countries have seen a departure from the standard employment relationship, defined by wages and salary work on a permanent contract with full-time working hours. A higher share of workers now engages in non-standard forms of employment, such as fixed-term or casual contracts, part-time work, and temporary agency work. Critics argue these forms of employment are more precarious and offer lower job quality than standard employment (e.g. Burgess and Campbell 1998; Kalleberg et al. 2000; Keller and Seifert 2013). Arguably, young people are particularly affected by these labour market trends (Blossfeld et al. 2005), suggesting altered conditions for partnership and fertility decisions. Against this background, this paper investigates the link be
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