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Effects of Early Life Family Events on Women’s Late Life Labour Market Behaviour: An Analysis of the Relationship between Childbearing and Retirement in Western Germany

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  • Karsten Hank

    (Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA))

Abstract

The relationship between a woman’s reproductive history and her entry into retirement is not well-investigated yet. Will mothers exit the workforce earlier than childless women (as they have a weaker labour market orientation; as they are more likely to have a ‘male breadwinner’ in the household), or will they work longer to make-up for employment interruptions during their reproductive phase? We exploit data from the German Socio-Economic Panel to estimate discrete-time logit models for women’s transition to retirement, using detailed information on the individual’s fertility biography as main explanatory variables. Our primary finding is that having children delays a woman’s exit from the labour force. This effect tends to be stronger for mothers who experienced their first birth relatively late. Postponing fertility and retirement should both be driven by a relatively strong career orientation. Thus, in addition to household economic considerations, the individual’s evaluation of her worker role relative to her family role is likely to be important for her retirement timing.

Suggested Citation

  • Karsten Hank, 2004. "Effects of Early Life Family Events on Women’s Late Life Labour Market Behaviour: An Analysis of the Relationship between Childbearing and Retirement in Western Germany," MEA discussion paper series 04047, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
  • Handle: RePEc:mea:meawpa:04047
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Visser, Mark & Fasang, Anette Eva, 2018. "Educational assortative mating and couples’ linked late-life employment trajectories," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 37, pages 79-90.
    2. Marleen Damman & Kène Henkens & Matthijs Kalmijn, 2015. "Women’s Retirement Intentions and Behavior: The Role of Childbearing and Marital Histories," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 31(4), pages 339-363, October.
    3. Linda Kridahl, 2017. "Retirement timing and grandparenthood: A population-based study on Sweden," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(31), pages 957-994.
    4. Lössbroek, Jelle & Radl, Jonas, 2019. "Teaching older workers new tricks: workplace practices and gender training differences in nine European countries," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 39(10), pages 2170-2193.
    5. Moen, Phyllis, 2010. "From "work-family" to the "gendered life course" and "fit": Five challenges to the field," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Skill Formation and Labor Markets SP I 2010-501, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    6. Hank, Karsten & Erlinghagen, Marcel, 1970. "Perceptions of Job Security in Europe’s Ageing Workforce," MEA discussion paper series 09176, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    7. Francesca Zanasi & Bruno Arpino & Elena Pirani & Valeria Bordone, 2021. "Work histories and provision of grandparental childcare among Italian older women," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_13, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    8. Kuhn, Ursina & Grabka, Markus M. & Suter, Christian, 2021. "Early retirement as a privilege for the rich? A comparative analysis of Germany and Switzerland," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47, pages 100392-1003.

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