Are All Single Mothers the Same? Evidence from British and West German Women's Employment Trajectories
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2235754 |
|---|---|
| Authors | H Zagel (0000-0002-5307-3380, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 49-63 |
| Publication date | 2014-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Sociological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/esr/jct021 |
| OpenAlex | W2328717850 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 21 |
| References cited | 39 |
Single motherhood is often discussed as a reason for women’s non-employment. This article investigates women’s employment trajectories during and after single motherhood in the welfare state contexts of Britain and West Germany. Sequence analysis is applied to longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey ( N = 329) and the German Socio-Economic Panel ( N = 378), comparing patterns in employment trajectories within and across country contexts. The article finds that trajectories vary strongly across individuals, but can be grouped into eight distinctive clusters. Typical trajectories during and after single motherhood are spread unevenly among women in Britain and West Germany. It was found that overall there was higher labour market attachment in West Germany and a higher prevalence of volatile employment trajectories in Britain. The findings also suggest that policy approaches focusing on single motherhood may be well advised to further disaggregate the claimant category by accounting for the life-course positioning of this family situation.
Archaeology · Demographic economics · Economics · German · Labour economics · Political science · Sociology · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · History · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Work-Family Balance Challenges
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Lone Mothers' Employment Trajectories
Dual-Earner Family Policies at Work for Single-Parent Families
‘Only a Husband Away from Poverty’? Lone Mothers’ Poverty Risks in a European Comparison
Understanding lone mothers’ high poverty in Germany
Work-Hour Trajectories and Associated Socioeconomic Characteristics among Single-Mother Families
Women’s Family and Employment Life Courses Across Twentieth-Century Europe
The role of career counselling in improving the psychological and economic wellbeing of single mothers
Differences in the Patterns of in-work Poverty in Germany and the UK
The wide-meshed safety net. Decision-making on social assistance eligibility in Sweden
Children’s physical custody arrangements and mothers’ employment in 11 European countries
Single Parenthood and the Poverty Debate
The changing demography of single motherhood
Diverging Trends in Single-Mother Poverty across Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom
Diverging Paths
Temporary Contracts, Employment Trajectories and Dualisation
Gluing, catching and connecting
How Do Single Mothers Evaluate and Cope with Living in Rural Peripheries? Insights into the Interplay of Social and Spatial Disadvantage
The Individual in Context(s)
If unpartnered at the birth of a child, how would you fare? A life-course perspective on contemporary single motherhood
Sequence Analysis with Stata
Lone parents, employment and social policy
Work–Family Balance, Gender and Policy
Gender, Equality and Welfare States
Sequence Analysis and Optimal Matching Techniques for Social Science Data
Beyond Activation Reforming European Unemployment Protection Systems in Post-Industrial Labour Markets
Vocational Secondary Education
The State and Social Services in Britain, France and Germany Since the 1980s
Developing child-care provision in England and Germany
Supporting the Employment of Mothers
Family structure and children's achievements
The long-run labour market consequences of teenage motherhood in Britain
Recent reforms in childcare and family policies in France and Germany
The Increasing Complexity of Family Relationships
Does the availability of child care influence the employment of mothers? Findings from western Germany
Employment and Wage Trajectories for Mothers Entering Low‐skilled Work
Welfare Reform and Lone Parents in the UK
Optimal Income Taxation of Lone Mothers
Lost in Transition? Labour Market Entry Sequences of School Leavers in Europe
Teenage Motherhood in Europe
The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (Soep) - Scope, Evolution and Enhancements
Gender and the Social Rights of Citizenship
Providing Space for Time
Patterns of Labour Market Entry - Long Wait or Career Instability? An Empirical Comparison of Italy, Great Britain and West Germany
The Diversity of State Benefit Dependent Lone Mothers
We both need to work
New Life for Old Ideas
Gender and Work in Germany
Institutional Arrangements and Stratification Processes in Industrial Societies
Educational Attainment and Family-Related Employment Interruptions in Germany
Childhood poverty, early motherhood and adult social exclusion
| Unique citing works | 21 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,75 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 21 |