PopDigests Policy Briefs Discussion Papers Policy Insights Books and Reports Yearbook Related Content Pop Digest - More people prefer not to have children Event - Determinants and measures of early development in the Growing up in Hungary study Pop Digest - Are two languages better than one? News - ERC Announced Starting Grant 2022 Principal Investigators Event - The nest redefined: Global family changes Pop Digest - Are ideals and norms related to fatherhood equal in Europe? Policy Brief Mission Not Accomplished? New evidence on parenthood in Europe Key Messages European countries have redoubled their efforts to support families. However, divergent birth rate trends suggest that no “magic formula” has been found. A common characteristic among countries with stable or even increasing birth rates is a high degree of female labour force participation. More could be done to slow down the “Rush-hour of Life”, the period when starting a family overlaps with career development. Document Download Population & Policy Compact 02/2011 (1.01 MB) Image Key Messages European countries have redoubled their efforts to support families. However, divergent birth rate trends suggest that no “magic formula” has been found. A common characteristic among countries with stable or even increasing birth rates is a high degree of female labour force participation. More could be done to slow down the “Rush-hour of Life”, the period when starting a family overlaps with career development. Policies might include on-the-job training programmes following parental leave to facilitate the return to the labour market. References Beets, G., J. Schippers and E. R. te Velde (eds.) (2011). The Future of Motherhood in Western Societies - Late Fertility and its Consequences, Springer. Billari, F. C., A. Goisis, A. C. Liefbroer, R. A. Settersten, A. Aassve, G. Hagestad and Z. Spéder (2010). Social age deadlines for the childbearing of women and men. Human Reproduction, 26: 616-662. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2007). Parental leave in European companies, Establishment Survey on Working Time 2004–2005. Goldstein, J. R., T. Sobotka and A. Jasilioniene (2009). The End of “Lowest-Low” Fertility? Population and Development Review, 35(4): 663-699. Luci, A. and O. Thévenon (2011). Does economic development explain the fertility rebound in OECD countries? Population & Societies, 481, INED. Matysiak, A. (2011). Interdependencies between Fertility and Women’s Labour Supply. European Studies of Population, 17, Springer. Myrskylä, M., H.-P. Kohler and F. C. Billari (2009). Advances in development reverse fertility declines. Nature, 460: 741-743. OECD (2010). OECD Family database. Sobotka, T. (2011). Reproductive decision-making in a macro-micro perspective (REPRO). Synthesis and policy implications. European Demographic Research Papers 1. Vienna Institute of Demography. Statistisches Bundesamt (2011). Wie leben Kinder in Deutschland? Additional Information Authors of Original Article Billari Matysiak Spéder Thévenon Source Billari, F., Matysiak, A., Spéder, Z. & Thévenon, O. (2011). Mission Not Accomplished? New evidence on parenthood in Europe. Population & Policy Compact 2, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.