Temporary employment and first births: A path analysis of the underlying mechanisms using Australian and German panel data

Abstract

In many countries, temporary work is negatively associated with fertility. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. This study investigates a range of mediating pathways (subjective and objective financial situation, short tenure, and employment uncertainty) through which temporary work influences first births in two contrasting contexts: Australia and Germany. Event history and path models are estimated using 19 years of data from both the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (n=28,493) and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP) (n=31,480). Results show that casual work among women and men in Australia, and fixedterm cont..