Fertility and the Reconciliation of Work and Family Life

This thesis analyses selected European countries in terms of fertility indicators, labour market conditions, childcare arrangements, levels of work flexibility, and the possibilities for reconciling work and family life. The aim is to assess whether a direct relationship exists between fertility rates and the level of work-family reconciliation in the observed countries. No clear or direct relationship was found between fertility levels and the ability to combine family life with employment. However, significant differences were identified between countries, particularly in female employment rates, the use of part-time work, and the ways in which parents typically arrange childcare. While in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands working conditions are more accommodating to the needs of parents due to higher flexibility and stronger support systems, the situation in Croatia and the Czech Republic is less favourable in this regard. The thesis primarily utilizes data from the Eurostat database and the second wave of the Generations and Gender Survey. Special attention is given to the situation in the Czech Republic, where the focus is on individuals’ concerns about reconciling work and family life in the event of having (another) child within the next three years. This question is used as the dependent variable, and binary logistic regression is applied to model the relationship. The aim is to identify predictors that influence the likelihood of respondents expressing concern about combining work and family life in case of childbirth. Statistically significant predictors include gender, (non-)parenthood, annual household income, and job flexibility. The analysis shows that women, individuals with children, those living in households with lower annual incomes, and those in inflexible employment are more likely to express concerns about the reconciliation of work and family life.