Family formation made difficult. The role of Institutional constraints on Gender Work- Family relations

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: 1,0, University of Cologne (Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät), course: Gender, Work and Family, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses research on the macro (the institutional) level about social patterns that affect families as a whole as well as the individuals personal and occupational lives. The role and the importance of institutional structures are discussed for their impact on patterns of work and hence, the opportunities and challenges that parents face within family life are examined. Therefore, institutional arrangements affecting gender equality, parental leave (with explicit views on both maternal and paternal leave), education, divorce, and fertility are analyzed. This paper seeks to examine the interplay of the macro-structures of institutions and the micro-structures of families.