Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:35:44.045Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bargaining over maternity pay: evidence from UK universities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2019

Mariaelisa Epifanio  and
Vera E. Troeger
Mariaelisa Epifanio
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Liverpool, UK
Vera E. Troeger*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Warwick, UK
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mailto:v.e.troeger@warwick.ac.uk 0
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The generosity of maternity pay has been shown to be an important factor for mothers’ attachment to the labour market. In the UK, we can observe that the generosity of maternity leaves across universities varies greatly: some universities top up the statutory maternity pay with longer and better paid leaves, others are either less generous or only entitle academic women to the legal minimum. We want to understand why this is the case. Therefore, this article examines both theoretically and empirically how higher education employers decide about the generosity of the offered occupational maternity pay. We use a bargaining approach to model the supply and demand side of generous maternity benefits in universities with different characteristics and test the implications with a generalised negative binomial model. We find that universities’ income does not account for this variation while differences in terms of costs and benefits for employers do. Most importantly, our results show that more research intense universities with a higher previous share of female professors provide more generous maternity pay. We offer a range of explanations for these findings.

Keywords

bargainingeconomic costsmaternity benefitspolicy determinantswomen in academia
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , September 2020 , pp. 349 - 374
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akgunduz, YE Plantenga, J (2013) Labour Market Effects of Parental Leave in Europe. Cambridge Journal of Economics 37(4): 845–862.Google Scholar
Albrecht, JW, Edin, P, Sundstrm, M Vroman, SB (1999) Career Interruption and Subsequent Earning: A Re-examination Using Swedish Data. The Journal of Human Resources 34(2): 294–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beblo, M, Bendery, S Wolf, E (2009) Establishment Level Wage Effects of Entering Motherhood, Oxford Economic Papers 61, 11–34.Google Scholar
Bernal, R Fruttero, A (2008) Parental Leave Policies, Intra-household time allocations and Children Human Capital. Journal ofPopulation Economics 21(4): 779–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Binmore, K, Rubinstein, A Wolinsky, A (1986) The Nash Bargaining Solution in Economic Modelling. The RAND Journal of Economics 17(2): 176–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bovin, JM Orton, M (2009) Activation Policies and Organizational Innovation. The Added Value of the Capability Approach. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 29(11/12): 565–574.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comfort, D, Johnson, K Wallace, D (2003) Part-Time Work and Family Friendly Practices in Canadian Workplaces, The Evolving Workplace Series, Statistics Canada. Available at <underline>http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/Statcan/71-584-M/71-584-MIE2003006.pdf</underline> – Accessed November 16, 2018.http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/Statcan/71-584-M/71-584-MIE2003006.pdf+–+Accessed+November+16,+2018.>Google Scholar
Dean, H, Bovin, JM, Vielle, P Farvaque, N (2005) Developing Capabilities and Rights in Welfare-to-Work Policies. European Societies 7(1): 3–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Del Rey, E, Racionero, M Silva, JI (2017) On the Effects of Parental Leave Duration on Unemployment and Wages. Economics Letters 158(C): 14–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Estevez-Abe, M (2006) Gendering the Varieties of Capitalism: A Study of Occupational Segregation by Sex in Advanced Industrial Societies. World Politics 59(1): 142–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, JM (2001) Firms’ Contribution to the Reconciliation between Work and Family Life, Labour Market and Social Policy Occasional Papers. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Farr, L (2016) Parental Leave Policies and Gender Equality: A Survey of the Literature. Studies in Economic Applications 34(1): 46–60.Google Scholar
Galinsky, E Bond, JT (1998) The 1998 Business Work-Life Study: A Sourcebook Executive Summary. Families and Work Institute: New York. http://familiesandwork.org/summary/worklife.pdf (accessed 16 November 2018.Google Scholar
Genre, V, Gomez-Salvador, R Lamo, A (2010) European Women: Why Don’t They Work? Applied Economics 42(12): 1499–1514.Google Scholar
GEW, UCU, and SULF (2011) Quality in Academia and Life: a joint strategy to improve Work-Life Balance.Google Scholar
Ginther, DK Khan, S (2004) Women in Economics: Moving Up or Falling Off the Academic Career Ladder? Journal of Economic Perspectives 18(3): 193214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ginther, DK Hayes, J (2003) Gender Differences in Salary and Promotion for Faculty in the Humanities. Journal of Human Resources 38(1): 34–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gornick, JC, Meyers, MK Ross, KE (1997) Supporting the Employment of Mothers: Policy Variation across Fourteen Welfare States. Journal of European Social Policy 1(7): 45–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, A Milner, S (2009) Editorial: Work-life Balance: A Matter of Choice? Gender, Work and Organization 16(1): 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobson, B Lindholm, M (1997) Collective Identities, Women’s Power Resources and the Making of Welfare States. Theory and Society 26(4): 475–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobson, B, Duvander, AZ Halldén, K (2006) Men and Women’s Agency and Capabilities to Create a Work-life Balance in Diverse and Changing Institutional Contexts. In Lewis J (ed), Children, Family Policies and Welfare State Change. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 267–297.Google Scholar
Hobson, B Fahln, S (2009) Competing Scenarios for European Fathers: Applying Sen’s Capabilities and Agency Framework to Work-Family Balance. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 624(1): 214–233.Google Scholar
Hobson, B, Fahln, S Takcs, J (2011) Agency and Capabilities to Achieve a Work-Life Balance: A Comparison of Sweden and Hungary. Social Politics 18(2): 168–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kleider, H (2015) Paid and Unpaid Work: The Impact of Social Policies on the Gender Division of Labor. Journal of European Social Policy 25(5): 505–520.Google Scholar
Konrad, AM Mangel, R (2000) The Impact of WorkLife Programs on Firm Productivity. Strategic Management Journal 21(12): 1225–1237.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iversen, T Rosenbluth, F (2006) The Political Economy of Gender: Explaining Cross-National Variation in the Gender Divison of Labor and Gender Voting Gap. American Journal of Political Science 50(1): 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, J (1992) Gender and the Development of Welfare Regimes. Journal of European Social Policy 2 (3): 159–173.Google Scholar
Lewis, J (2009) WorkFamily Balance, Gender and Policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Mandel, H Semyonov, M (2006) A Welfare State Paradox: State Interventions and Womens Employment Opportunities in 22 Countries. American Journal of Sociology 111(6): 1910–1949.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason, MA Goulden, M (2002) Do Babies Matter? The Effect of Family Formation on the Lifelong Careers of Academic Men and Women. Academe 88(6): 21–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason, MA Goulden, M (2004) Marriage and Baby Blues: Redefining Gender Equity in the Academy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 596(1): 86–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Misra, J (1998) Mothers or Workers? The Value of Women’s Labor: Women and the Emergence of Family Allowance Policy. Gender & Society 12(4): 376–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OECD Family Database. Available at http://www.oecd.org/els/family/database.htm (accessed: 16 November 2018).Google Scholar
Ondrich, JC, Spiess, K Yang, Q (1996) Barefoot and in a German Kitchen: Federal Parental Leave and Benefit Policy and the Return to Work after Childbirth in Germany. Journal of Population Economics 9, 247–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettit, B Hook, J (2005) The Structure of Women’s Employment in Comparative Perspective. Social Forces 84(2): 779–801.Google Scholar
Pitt-Catsouphes, M, Swanberg, JE, Bond, JT Galinsky, E (2004) Work-Life Policies and Programs: Comparing the Responsiveness of Nonprofit and For-Profit Organizations. Nonprofit Management & Leadership 14(3): 291–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pylkkänen, E Smith, N (2003) Career Interruptions due to Parental Leave. A Comparative Study of Denmark and Sweden, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers No 1. Available at http://www.oecd.org/sweden/2502336.pdf (accessed 25 April 2018).Google Scholar
Raabe, PH Theall, KP (2016) An Analysis of Paid Family and Sick Leave Advocacy in Louisiana: Lessons Learned. Women’s Health Issues 26 (5): 488–495.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruhm, CJ (1998) The Economic Consequences of Parental Leave Mandates: Lessons from Europe. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 113(1): 285–317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Secret, M, Sprang, G, Rompf, EL Anderson, DG (2000) A Community-Based Study on Family Friendly Workplaces. Journal of Community Practice 8(1): 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soskice, D (2005) Varieties of Capitalism and Cross-National Gender Differences. Social Politics 12(2): 170–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoiber, SA (1990) Family Leave Entitlements in Europe: Lessons for the United States. Compensation and Benefits Management VI, 111–116.Google Scholar
Ulker, A Guven, C (2011) Determinants of Maternity Leave Duration in Australia: Evidence from HILDA Survey. Economic Record 87(278): 399–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldfogel, J (1998) The Family Gap for Young Women in the United States and Britain: Can Maternity Leave Make a Difference? Journal of Labor Economics 16(3): 505–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetzels, C Tijdens, K (2002) Dutch Women’s Return to Work and the Re-Entry Effect on Wage. Cahiers Economiques Bruxelles 45(2): 169–189.Google Scholar
Winegarden, CR Bracy, PM (1995) Demographic Consequences of Maternal-Leave Programs in Industrial Countries: Evidence from Fixed-Effects Models. Southern Economic Journal 61(4): 1020–1035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, M, Hill, S, Mcgovern, P, Mills, C Smeaton, D (2003) High-Performance, Management Practices, Working Hours and Work-Life Balance. British Journal of Industrial Relations 41(2): 175–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yasbek, P (2004) The Business Case for Firm-Level Work-Life Balance Policies: A Review of the Literature. Labour Market Policy Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand Government. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266340222_The_Business_Case_for_Firm-Level_Work-Life_Balance_Policies_A_Review_of_The_Literature (accessed 16 November 2018).Google Scholar
Supplementary material: Link

Epifanio and Troeger Dataset

Dataset

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/HMKHFB
Link
Supplementary material: PDF

Epifanio and Troeger supplementary material

Appendix

Download Epifanio and Troeger supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 475.6 KB