Impacts of policies, peers and parenthood on labor market outcomes

Abstract

This thesis consists of five self-contained, but related, papers covering the relevance of paid parental leave entitlements (Policies), co-workers’ behavior (Peers), and the number and timing of births (Parenthood) for labor market outcomes. The papers are related in terms of all being, in a broad sense, associated to the economics literature on gender disparities in the labor market. Among the most dramatic demographic and labor market changes in developed countries during the last decades include the inflow of women to the labor market, the simultaneous decline in fertility rates, the rising age at first birth, and the overall decline in the male-female wage gap. These variables are all interrelated, a fact that is highlighted by the vast economics literature on the gender wage gap, fertility and female labor supply with varying points of departure. For example, decreased fertility has been studied as a means to explain historical trends in female labor supply. As many countries struggle with below replacement fertility, the negative relationship between fertility and female labor sup-ply has also spurred a large interest in policies that help countries maintain both high fertility and high female labor market participation through reducing barriers to the combination of market work and family.