Travail et maternité en Europe: conditions de travail et politiques publiques

The purpose of this study is to analyse the cost of motherhood in terms of working conditions and to measure the (positive or negative) impact of public policies on women's decisions with respect to motherhood and employment. The results show that inactivity is the main determinant of the employment gap between mothers and non-mothers. However, the impact of part-time is menthionworthly in Luxembourg, Austria, the United-Kingdom and the Netherlands. In terms of public policies, a good child care system is the most effective way to safeguard parents' employment. Ideally, maternity leave should not stretch beyond the period that is health-wise necessary in order not to put at risk future employability. The same holds true for parental leave: it should be short and shared between both parents.conditions de travail; emploi; maternité; politiques publiques