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Does Work-Time Flexibility Really Improve the Reconciliation of Family and Work?

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  • Scheffel, Juliane

Abstract

Temporal work flexibility is often viewed as means to improve the reconciliation of family and work. By exploiting theGerman re-unification and the particularities of the labor market of the German Democratic Republic, I show that flexitime allows mothers to spend more time with their children. The additional childcare time is added to the already existing work burden. It is accommodated by reductions in regenerative time and leisure which makes a reconciliation of family and work even more strenuous. A comparison between East andWest suggests a significantly positive endogeneity bias that largely overstates the effectiveness of work-time flexibility on parental time.

Suggested Citation

  • Scheffel, Juliane, 2013. "Does Work-Time Flexibility Really Improve the Reconciliation of Family and Work?," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79992, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc13:79992
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • 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

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