Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Balancing Work and Family Life during the Life Course

  • Published:
De Economist Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper discusses how work and family obligations can be better reconciled in EU countries by adopting a life-course perspective. It stresses that longer and deeper involvement in paid employment allows people to exploit their longer life to reconcile the two ambitions of, first, investing in the next generation as a parent and, second, pursuing a fulfilling career in paid work. Greater flexibility of working time over the life course requires more individual responsibility for financing leave. Moreover, rather than shielding older insiders through employment protection, labor-market institutions should enable parents of young children to easily enter and remain in the labor market. Finally, more activating social assistance and in-work benefits should replace passive income support for breadwinners.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • A. Adsera (2004a) ArticleTitleChanging Fertility Rates in Developed Countries. The Impact of Labor Market Institutions Journal of Population Economics 17 17–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Adsera, A. (2004b), ‘Where are the Babies? Labor Market Conditions and Fertility in Europe,’ IZA Discussion Paper.

  • J.W. Albrecht P.A. Edin M. Sundstrom S.B. Vroman (1999) ArticleTitleCareer Interruptions and Subsequent Earnings: A Reexamination Using Swedish Data Journal of Human Resources 34 IssueID2 294–311

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Aghion B. Hermalin (1990) ArticleTitleLegal Restrictions on Private Contracts can Enhance Efficiency Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 6 IssueID2 381–409

    Google Scholar 

  • A.J. Auerbach L.J. Kotlikoff W. Leibfritz (1999) Generational Accounting around the World University of Chicago Press Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Bovenberg, A.L. and B. Jacobs (2001), ‘Redistribution and Education Subsidies are Siamese Twins,’ CEPR Discussion Paper No. 3099.

  • Burniaux, J.M., R. Duval, and F. Jaumotte (2004), ‘Coping with Ageing: A Dynamic Approach to Quantify the Impact of Alternative Policy Options on Future Labour Supply in OECD Countries,’ OECD Economics Department Working Paper No. 371.

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameCouncil of Economic Advisors (1997) The First Three Years: Investments that Pay Executive Office of the President Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, G. (1990), The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Princeton University Press

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameEuropean Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2003) A New Organization of Time over Working Life Office for Official Publications of the European Commission Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Folster, S., R. Gidehag, M. Orszag, and D. Snower (2002), ‘Assessing Welfare Accounts,’ CEPR Discussion Paper No. 3479.

  • J. Gruber (1994) ArticleTitleThe Incidence of Mandated Maternity Benefits American Economic Review 84 622–641

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Haveman B. Wolfe (1995) ArticleTitleThe Determination of Children’s Attainment: A Review of Methods and Findings Journal of Economic Literature 33 1829–1878

    Google Scholar 

  • J.J. Heckman L. Lochner C. Taber (1998) ArticleTitleExplaining Rising Wage Inequality: Explorations with a Dynamic General Equilibrium Model of Earnings with Heterogeneous Agents Review of Economic Dynamics 1 1–58 Occurrence Handle10.1006/redy.1997.0008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.J. Heckman (2000) ArticleTitlePolicies to Foster Human Capital Research in Economics 54 3–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaumotte, F., (2003), ‘Female Labour Force Participation: Past Trends and Main Determinants in OECD Countries,’ OECD Economics Department Working Paper No. 376, Paris.

  • Kugler, A. and G. Pica, (2003), ‘Effects of Employment Protection and Product Market Regulations on the Italian Labor Matket,’ IZA Discussion Paper No. 948.

  • Kunze, A. (2003), ‘The Timing of Working Career and Depreciation of Human Capital due to Different Types of Interruptions,’ IZA Discussion Paper.

  • A. Lindbeck (1997) ArticleTitleIncentives and Social Norms in Household Behavior American Economic Review 87 IssueID2 370–377

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Lindbeck D.J. Snower (2000) ArticleTitleMulti-Task Learning and the Reorganization of Work: From Tayloristic to Holistic Organization Journal of Labor Economics 18 IssueID3 353–376 Occurrence Handle10.1086/209962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L. Lunqvist T.J. Sargent (1998) ArticleTitleThe European Unemployment Dilemma Journal of Political Economy 106 514–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesporova, A. (2002), ‘Why Unemployment Remains so High in Central and Eastern Europe,’ Employment Paper 2002/43, International Labour Office, Geneva.

  • OECD (2001), ‘Balancing Work and Family Life: Helping Parents into Paid Employment,’ Chapter 4 in OECD Employment Outlook 2001, Paris.

  • OECD (2002), ‘Women at Work: Who are They and How are They Faring?’ Chapter 2 in OECD Employment Outlook 2002, Paris.

  • OECD (2003a), ‘Babies and Bosses. Reconciling Work and Family Life,’ Vol. 2, Paris.

  • OECD (2003b), ‘Upgrading Workers’ Skills and Competencies,’ Chapter 5 in OECD Employment Outlook 2003, Paris.

  • Orszag, J.M. and D. Snower (1997), ‘Expanding the Welfare System: A Proposal for Reform,’ CEPR Discussion Paper No. 1674.

  • C.J. Ruhm (1998) ArticleTitleThe Economic Consequences of Parental Leave Mandates: Lessons from Europe Quarterly Journal of Economics 113 285–317 Occurrence Handle10.1162/003355398555586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C.J. Ruhm (2000) ArticleTitleParental Leave and Child Health Journal of Health Economics 19 931–960 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0167-6296(00)00047-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruhm, C.J. (2002), ‘Parental Employment and Child Cognitive Development,’ Mimeo, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (also National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 7666).

  • A. Sandmo (1990) ArticleTitleTax Distortions and Household Production Oxford Economic Papers 42 IssueID1 78–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J. and J. Yun (2002), ‘Integration of Unemployment Insurance with Retirement Insurance,’ NBER Working Paper No. 9199.

  • Unicef, (1999), ‘Women in Transition,’ The MONEE Project Regional Monitoring Report No. 6, Florence, Italy.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Netspar, Tilburg University, 90153, Tilburg, 5000, LE, The Netherlands

    A. L. Bovenberg

Authors
  1. A. L. Bovenberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. L. Bovenberg.

Additional information

This paper is a revised draft of a paper prepared for high-level expert conference on the Social Policy Agenda for the European Union on October 28/29 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The author thanks Evert Jan van Asselt, Peter Cuyvers, Henk Don, Bas Jacobs, Ruud de Mooij, Wouter Roorda, Martijn de Wildt and two anonymous referees for helpful comments on earlier drafts, and Peter Cuyvers, Laura Thissen, and Wouter Roorda for research assistance.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bovenberg, A.L. Balancing Work and Family Life during the Life Course. De Economist 153, 399–423 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10645-005-2659-3

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10645-005-2659-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation