The Impact of Women’s Career Interruptions on the Transitions to Second Childbirth Decisions in Italy and Sweden

This poster investigates the relationship between women’s career interruptions on the decisions leading to second childbirths. In particular, the focus is on a cross-cohort comparison between Italy and Sweden. I use data from the ‘Fertility and Family Survey’ in order to analyse women born between 1945 and 1975. I estimate the rates of second childbirth decisions by using Weibul hazard models, controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. My findings show for Swedish women a positive impact of part-time employment on the transition to second childbirths decisions; the reverse is found for younger Italian women. Intermittent work histories have a negative impact on entry into second childbirths. When the fraction of cumulative time spent in a career break is taken into account, results are mixed: in the short-term, previous time of inactivity, unemployment or part-time employment has a negative impact on second birth transitions, whereas in the long-term a positive effect emerges