Callister & Associates
- economic and social research -
Selected 2002 Papers
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Should job protection and income support for new parents be separated? Policy options in a US and New Zealand context
Callister, P. (2002) Community, Work & Family, 5(3): 279-299.
Abstract: If income support for a period of parental leave is viewed as societal recognition of parents' lost income from employment in order to care for children, then there is some justification for linking eligibility for payment to a parent's eligibility for job protection. This argument is substantially undermined, however, when a significant number of parents, often through no fault of their own, find themselves in jobs that are not covered by job protection legislation.
Drawing on the situations in New Zealand and the USA, it is argued that at a time when employers and governments are seeking greater labour market flexibility, linking payment to eligibility for job protection increases the potential for many workers to be excluded from qualifying for paid parental leave.
From a public health perspective, the most effective health protection policies are those that achieve the widest coverage. From this vantage point, the ability to take a period of parental leave should not relate to an individual's labour market status. What matters is having sufficient income to cover the period of leave so that optimal health outcomes can be achieved.
When society has a goal of achieving optimal health outcomes there is little logic in having income support determined by recent work history.
The aging population and social policy: Can "family-friendly" policies increase both fertility and women's employment?
Callister, P. (2002) Cornell Careers Institute working paper 02-02, Ithaca: Cornell University.
Abstract: In all Western industrialized countries the average age of the population is rising. This aging of the population has raised policy concerns as to how to economically support the growing proportion of the population who are projected to be no longer active in the labour market.
While reforming public retirement schemes is on the policy agenda of all industrialized countries, other options as to how to reduce the problems associated with an aging population are also being investigated. These include increasing both fertility and the rates of female employment.
In a context of also endeavouring to achieve gender equality in both the workplace and the family, this paper explores whether "family-friendly" policies are likely to assist in reaching these goals. Five countries are selected as case studies. These are the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and New Zealand.
Among the countries chosen for this analysis, there appears to be significant variation regarding the extent to which "family friendly" policies are likely to encourage an increase in fertility and female employment.
Latest Papers | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | Earlier Papers
