Fathers' Involvement in the Family, Fertility, and Maternal Employment: Evidence From Central and Eastern Europe

Dutch midwives' views on father-involvement practices

BACKGROUND

Midwives are uniquely positioned to engage fathers already prenatally and facilitate an equal transition into parenthood for both parents. However, they may face barriers hindering their investment in involving fathers.

AIM

The aim was to investigate barriers and facilitators midwives experience when implementing two father-involvement practices 1) involving fathers in antenatal and postnatal care and (2) encouraging parental conversations about future work/care divisions.

METHODS

Study 1 utilized a World Café with twelve midwives to identify barriers and facilitators, across motivation, opportunity, and ability. Study 2 used a Q-methodology with 31 midwives to assess these factors' relative importance and identify distinct viewpoints.

FINDINGS

The World Café revealed that midwives are motivated to involve fathers, primarily because they anticipate positive outcomes for parents and infants. Key barriers included a lack of time, finances, and educational resources. The Q-study identified that midwives could be clustered in two profiles reflecting different perspectives on the ranking of barriers to involving fathers in prenatal care. The "Educationally Constrained Midwife" lacks knowledge, educational materials, and training, while the "Resource Constrained Midwife" is hindered by time and financial constraints. For encouraging parents to discuss the future task division, only one profile was identified showing that midwives were motivated to incorporate this extra task if they receive additional time, finances, training, and educational materials to share with parents.

CONCLUSION

Addressing educational and resource barriers is crucial for enhancing father-involvement by midwives. Interventions tailored to these profiles can support midwives in adopting practices promoting father-involvement, potentially improving family outcomes and advancing gender equity in caregiving responsibilities.

Association between paternal involvement in childcare and child injury: the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS)

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that paternal involvement in childcare for infants up to 6 months of age can prevent injuries in children up to 18 months of age. However, the relationship after 18 months of age has not been clearly established. Therefore, this study investigated the association between paternal involvement in childcare at 6 months of age and injuries in children between birth and 4 years of age.

METHODS

This study analysed data from 72,343 children and mothers who participated in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). Seven items of paternal involvement in childcare at 6 months of age-indoor play, outdoor play, feeding the child, diaper changing, dressing, bathing, and putting the child to bed-were assessed using a 4-item Likert-type scale. The total score was calculated from the responses (0-21) and divided into three tertiles: low (0-11), middle (12-14), and high (15-21). Children were asked about trauma and burn injuries occurring from birth to 4 years of age. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

The incidence of traumatic injury in children from birth to 4 years of age was 5.0%, and the incidence of burn injury was 4.0%. The association of trauma and burn with the risk of child injury by tertile of paternal involvement in childcare at 6 months of age showed a protective effect for trauma (P for trend = 0.013). Responses of 'seldom' 'sometimes', or 'all the time' to the items playing at home, playing outdoors, feeding, bathing, and putting the child to sleep were more likely to be associated with a lower risk of trauma in children compared with responses of 'never'. There was no association between paternal involvement in childcare and burn injuries in children.

CONCLUSIONS

Paternal involvement in childcare at 6 months of age was associated with a lower risk of trauma in children, and a protective effect against traumatic injuries was shown in 5 of the 7 items of paternal involvement in childcare.

The associations of cash transfers with parental investment and couples' fertility among low-income Serbian Roma

Welfare incentives, by providing parents access to certain resources, may increase the reliability of parental investment returns and thus increase opportunities to invest in offspring quality vs. quantity and eventually a drop in fertility. Using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 6 for Serbian Roma, this study examined whether improvements in resources, driven by cash transfers, encouraged parental greater engagement per child and a drop in fertility. The sample included 1095 Roma couples whereas a couple's number of biological children by number of years married was used as a proxy for fertility. The results imply that Roma parental response to shifts in environmental risk did not result in more parental time and lower birth rate: parental investment was lower in the welfare households, presently associated with a higher birth rate. Roma paternal investment dropped in the presence of stepchildren and rose in the presence of biological children, allowing mothers to divert their attention to reproduction. Cash transfers may compensate for the additional costs of an extra child and maintain fertility. Despite the amounts received, or the assumed improvements brought about, the changes may have not be perceived as sufficient enough to cause a shift in parental behavior and a drop in fertility.

The impact of income inequality on the fertility intention: A micro perspective based on relative deprivation

The relative deprivation index can reflect the income inequality faced by different individuals, which is helpful to understand the relationship between income inequality and the variability of fertility intentions. But previous studies have almost focused on the macro indicators of income inequality, ignoring individual heterogeneity in income inequality. In this study, we explore the causal relationship and potential mechanisms between income inequality and fertility intentions from the perspective of relative deprivation in income. The findings are as follows: (1) An increase in income inequality boosts individuals' fertility intentions, and the results are still robust after using the instrumental variables two-stage least squares (2SLS) model to deal with endogeneity. (2) Mechanism analysis reveals that income inequality improves individuals' fertility intentions through the channels of "Build hopes on children", "Allocate more time to families" and "Put less value on children's education". (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that income inequality has a more pronounced positive impact on fertility intentions of individuals with poor education, low household assets and without pension insurance. (4) Further analysis reveals that an increase in income inequality at macro level also promote individuals' fertility intentions. Our findings hold significant policy implications for promoting a rebound in fertility rates. When developing policies to adjust income distribution, it is necessary to consider the response of individuals' fertility decisions to income inequality. Policymakers should ensure that efforts to improve income distribution do not inadvertently reduce the willingness of individuals to have more children.

Demographic transition in South Korea: implications of falling birth rates

This review examines the critical issues of declining total fertility rates (TFRs) and aging populations in East Asia with special focus on South Korea. It provides a comprehensive analysis of TFR trends, aging demographics, and the policy responses of these nations to the low-fertility crisis. This study highlights the intricate tapestry of the factors contributing to these demographic shifts, including economic, social, and cultural influences. It also examines the effectiveness of various prenatal policies implemented across these countries, offering insight into their successes and limitations. Furthermore, it explores the role of immigration as a potential solution to the structural challenges posed by low birth rates. This review underscores the importance of multifaceted strategies for addressing the complex demographic challenges faced by South Korea.

Negotiating Work and Family Spheres: The Dyadic Effects of Flexible Work Arrangements on Fertility Among Dual-Earner Heterosexual Couples

Academics and policymakers have suggested making flexible work arrangements (FWAs) the default in workplaces to promote a family-friendly workplace culture conducive to having and raising children. However, systematic research investigating how FWAs, as a long-term approach to negotiating work-family spheres, are related to fertility among dual-earner heterosexual couples is limited. Drawing on the linked-lives perspective, we theorize the relationship between FWAs and fertility among couples and potential variation depending on the interplay of both spouses' work and family characteristics. We test our hypotheses using longitudinal couple-level dyadic data in the United Kingdom (2010-2022). We find that although FWA availability alone is unrelated to fertility, wives' (not husbands') FWA use is significantly associated with a higher probability of experiencing a first birth. Moreover, the effect of wives' FWA use is particularly pronounced when both spouses work in professional and managerial occupations and when husbands contribute a larger proportion of income and at least equal housework. This study reveals a gendered effect of FWAs on fertility across work-family arrangements, deepening our understanding of couple-level dynamics in the fertility process.

The experience of reproductive planning of female military firefighters

OBJECTIVE

To understand the experience of reproductive planning of female military firefighter health professionals.

METHOD

Phenomenological research under the theoretical-philosophical and methodological framework of Martin Heidegger. Developed in Fire Department units in Rio de Janeiro in the first half of 2016, with 21 female military health professionals.

RESULTS

Women expressed that it is necessary to work and manage roles. Therefore, they have to plan to have a child, due to the difficulty of managing all the tasks and reconciling motherhood with work. They think of a more comfortable situation to dedicate themselves to their children, since they are the main responsiblefor them.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive health actions for military women need to be included in public policies, as it is a group that has been increasingly participating in an environment previously restricted to men and with their characteristics.

O vivido do planejamento reprodutivo de mulheres bombeiras militares

RESUMO Objetivo: Compreender o vivido do planejamento reprodutivo de bombeiras militares profissionais da saúde. Método: Investigação fenomenológica sob o referencial teórico-filosófico e metodológico de Martin Heidegger. Desenvolvida em unidades de Corpo de Bombeiros do Rio de Janeiro no primeiro semestre de 2016 com 21 mulheres militares profissionais da saúde. Resultados: As mulheres expressaram que é necessário trabalhar e conciliar os papéis. Por isso, têm que se programar para ter filho devido à dificuldade de administrar todos os afazeres e conciliar a maternidade com o trabalho. Elas pensam numa situação mais confortável para se dedicar aos filhos, sendo elas as principais responsáveis por eles. Conclusões: Ações de saúde integral das mulheres militares necessitam ser incluídas nas políticas públicas, pois é um grupo que vem participando cada vez mais em um ambiente anteriormente restrito aos homens e com características relacionadas a eles.

Gender Equality and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Labour Market, Family Relationships and Public Policy

During the recovery, investing in gender equality is essential: it will lead directly to higher GDP and indirectly to increase human capital and promote a sustainable society. Or Women as economic agents may themselves have an impact on policies: the changing role of women in families and societies and their greater representation in decision making positions contribute to focusing and redirecting the policy agenda toward items that ultimately reduce gender gaps.

Women's and men's work, housework and childcare, before and during COVID-19

Evidence from past economic crises indicates that recessions often affect men's and women's employment differently, with a greater impact on male-dominated sectors. The current COVID-19 crisis presents novel characteristics that have affected economic, health and social phenomena over wide swaths of the economy. Social distancing measures to combat the spread of the virus, such as working from home and school closures, have placed an additional tremendous burden on families. Using new survey data collected in April 2020 from a representative sample of Italian women, we analyse the effects of working arrangements due to COVID-19 on housework, childcare and home schooling among couples where both partners work. Our results show that most of the additional housework and childcare associated to COVID-19 falls on women while childcare activities are more equally shared within the couple than housework activities. According to our empirical estimates, changes to the amount of housework done by women during the emergency do not seem to depend on their partners' working arrangements. With the exception of those continuing to work at their usual place of work, all of the women surveyed spend more time on housework than before. In contrast, the amount of time men devote to housework does depend on their partners' working arrangements: men whose partners continue to work at their usual workplace spend more time on housework than before. The link between time devoted to childcare and working arrangements is more symmetric, with higher percentages of both women and men spending less time with their children if they continue to work away from home. For home schooling, too, parents who continue to go to their usual workplace after the lockdown are less likely to spend greater amounts of time with their children than before. Similar results emerge for the partners of women not working before the emergency. Finally, analysis of work-life balance satisfaction shows that working women with children aged 0-5 are those who find balancing work and family more difficult during COVID-19. The work-life balance is especially difficult to achieve for those with partners who continue to work outside the home during the emergency.