Why women in some countries are more likely than others to postpone childbirth when facing employment instability? This study uses 2010–2019 EU-SILC panel data to explore whether the impacts of women’s employment instability, including being unemployed or temporarily employed by fixed-term contracts, on the first- and second-birth transitions differ across 27 European countries and how governments’ provisions of different family policies moderate such relationships. Results showed that while unemployment and temporary employment could generally delay women’s first- and second-birth transition, such effects varied across European countries and depended on the levels of family policy provisions. Countries with more generous family cash benefits were associated with less negative and even positive effects of women’s employment instability on birth transitions. On the other hand, the birth effects of women’s employment instability did not vary significantly across countries according to the length of paid maternity/parental leaves. Most strikingly, countries with higher childcare coverage rates were associated with more negative effects of women’s employment instability on birth transitions. These findings highlight the importance of family policy contexts in shaping women’s childbirth responses to unstable employment circumstances.

中文翻译：

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女性就业不稳定如何影响出生转变：27个欧洲国家家庭政策的调节作用

为什么一些国家的女性在面临就业不稳定时比其他国家更有可能推迟生育？本研究使用 2010-2019 年 EU-SILC 面板数据来探讨 27 个欧洲国家女性就业不稳定（包括失业或通过定期合同临时雇用）对第一胎和第二胎过渡的影响是否存在差异，以及各国政府如何采取措施不同家庭政策的规定缓和了这种关系。结果显示，虽然失业和临时就业通常会延迟妇女第一胎和第二胎的过渡，但这种影响在欧洲国家之间有所不同，并且取决于家庭政策规定的水平。家庭现金福利较为慷慨的国家，妇女就业不稳定对出生转变的负面影响甚至正面影响较小。另一方面，根据带薪产假/育儿假的长短，妇女就业不稳定对生育的影响在不同国家之间并没有显着差异。最引人注目的是，儿童保育覆盖率较高的国家与妇女就业不稳定对出生转变的负面影响更大。这些发现凸显了家庭政策背景在塑造妇女对不稳定就业环境的生育反应方面的重要性。儿童保育覆盖率较高的国家，妇女就业不稳定对出生转变的负面影响更大。这些发现凸显了家庭政策背景在塑造妇女对不稳定就业环境的生育反应方面的重要性。儿童保育覆盖率较高的国家，妇女就业不稳定对出生转变的负面影响更大。这些发现凸显了家庭政策背景在塑造妇女对不稳定就业环境的生育反应方面的重要性。