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Female labour force participation, fertility and public policy in Sweden

Participation féminine au marché du travail, fécondité et politiques en Suède

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the role of public policy for Sweden's combination of high female labour force participation and high levels of fertility in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We present the central elements in the tax and family policies and use a disaggregated approach to assess their impact on Swedish fertility and female labour force participation. We show that these policies stimulate both fertility and women's paid work by reducing the costs of having children while requiring parents to be employed to collect full benefits.

Résumé

Cet article analyse le rôle des politiques sur le lien entre une forte participation féminine au marché du travail et de hauts niveaux de fécondité en Suède, à la fin des années 1980 et au début des années 1990. Nous présentons d'abord les principaux éléments des politiques fiscales et parentales. Puis nous utilisons une approche désaggrégée pour mettre en évidence leur impact sur la fécondité suédoise et la participation féminine au marché du travail. Nous montrons que ces politiques stimulent à la fois la fécondité et le travail féminin rémunéré en réduisant les coûts en vue d'élever les enfants tout en demandant aux parents d'être actifs pour en recueillir les pleins bénéfices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Demography Unit, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Marianne Sundström

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Frank P. Stafford

Authors
  1. Marianne Sundström
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  2. Frank P. Stafford
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Sundström, M., Stafford, F.P. Female labour force participation, fertility and public policy in Sweden. Eur J Population 8, 199–215 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797210

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797210

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