Federal Institute for Population Research

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Menschen, die über binären Code laufen (refer to: Data set of the second survey wave of FReDA published) | Source: Orbon Alija via Getty Images

FReDA Data ReleaseData set of the second survey wave of FReDA published

The data release of the second wave of the FReDA long-term study on family life in Germany also enables longitudinal analyses. The most important information and figures at a glance.

Miscellaneous PublicationsThe Effect of Grandchildren on Grandparental Labour Supply: Evidence from Europe

Backhaus, Andreas; Barslund, Mikkel (2019)

EconPol Working Paper 31

Grandparents spend a considerable amount of time taking care of their grandchildren. For grandparents still at working-age, these time transfers might imply relevant economic trade-offs with regard to the participation in the labour market. Using an instrumental variable strategyand multiple waves of the Survey ofHealth, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we estimate the causal effect of grandparenthood on the labour supply of working-age grandparents in nine European countries. In our preferred specification, we find a large negative impact of grandparenthood on the labour force participation of women aged 55 to 64. By contrast, the intensive margin in terms of hours worked is unaffected. Male labour supply does not significantly adjust in response to grandparenthood. Complementary to their time transfers, grandmothers also transfer more gifts to their descendants than women who do not have grandchildren.

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