Temporary jobs and first child fertility in Finland

Abstract

This study examines the association between temporary employment and first child fertility among 20- to 44-year-old Finnish employees in partnership. In this endeavour, the moderating effects of employer sector and insecurity of employment situation are considered. The data consist of the Finnish Quality of Work Life Surveys 1984, 1990, 1997, 2003 and 2008, to which information from population register on children born to the respondents is merged. With a relatively high total fertility rate, a high female employment rate and a high prevalence of temporary employment among women at the age of family formation, Finland provides an interesting context for studying the association of temporary employment with fertility. The findings confirm a negative association of temporary employment with transition to parenthood in the year following the survey for both men and women. However, the positive association of the public sector employment on fertility is so strong that female temporaries in the public sector are about as likely to have a child as permanent employees in the private sector. Insecurity of employment situation interacts with the type of contract in the case of women. Among those with high levels of insecurity, temporary employees are more likely to opt for motherhood than permanent employees.

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