Despite considerable convergence over time, substantial gender inequality persists in all countries. We first study the labour market consequences of having children for women and men in six countries that span a wide range of policies and norms. The analysis reveals some striking similarities across countries, but also sharp differences in the magnitude of the effects. We discuss the potential role of family policies and gender norms in explaining the cross-country evidence with a particular focus on the experiences of Austria and Switzerland.

Josef Zweimüller is Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on the labor market, in particular the effect of welfare state programs. Inter alia, he has worked on the effect of unemployment insurance on the labor market and the effect of family policies on the careers of young mothers. From 2009-2015 he was co-director of the CEPR labour economics program.