Cohort: SOMET 41

Topic of the thesis: Parental division of labor, family leave policies, and long-term children's outcomes: a comparative study of Germany and the UK

Abstract: This research investigates how the division of paid labor, domestic tasks, and childcare between parents during the early years of a child's life affects the latter's long-term outcomes concerning health, education, and labor market trajectories. Drawing on approaches from economics, sociology, life course research, social policy, and welfare regimes literature, the project adopts a comparative and longitudinal perspective to examine intergenerational inequalities and the role of public policies in shaping and addressing them. The study is therefore structured around three main objectives. First, it aims to reconstruct the different within-couple configurations of paid and unpaid labor during the transition to parenthood. Second, it explores the long-term implications of these labor arrangements for children's life opportunities and results. Finally, it evaluates the effects of two key policy interventions - Germany's 1992 maternity leave extension and the UK's 2003 paternity leave introduction - to shed light on how family leave policies influence household dynamics and the reproduction of inequalities. The empirical analysis relies on high-quality longitudinal data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, Germany), the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS, UK), the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS, UK), and the Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF). The study aims to make two key contributions: first, to advance the understanding of how everyday family practices interact with macro-level structures and institutions; second, to provide evidence-based insights for designing policies that promote both gender equality and intergenerational social mobility.

Research interests:  quantitative evaluation of public policies; demographic behavior; family forms.

Graduated from: University of Turin - Collegio Carlo Alberto; University of Turin; University of Urbino

Degrees obtained: Second-level Master in Welfare: theoretical foundations and data analysis (WeDA); MA in International Studies; BA in Information, Media, and Advertisement

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