Initial Situation/Problem Statement
Recently, the topic of family formation and entrepreneurial activity has gained public attention under the heading of maternity protection for the self-employed. The discussion of the largely absent social protection for self-employed women during pregnancy and maternity leave periods has revealed a glaring lack of fundamental knowledge. While some knowledge gaps have been closed in the meantime, others, such as the impact of childbirth on women’s entrepreneurial activities, remain open. These fundamental insights are essential for the targeted adoption of key family policy measures, such as maternity protection or parental leave.
Research Objective/Approach
The aim of this subproject is to examine the general relation between family formation and self-employment. Specifically, it seeks to explore how childbirth affects women's labour force participation—for example, whether it leads to an interruption in employment or to a change in employment type (i.e., from self-employment to dependent employment and vice versa) and what factors influence such transitions.
Particular attention will also be given to the question of how childbirth impacts the amount of time devoted to self-employment by women and the income generated from it. The Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) will serve as the empirical basis for this analysis.