In Germany, relative to comparable countries, the birth of a child still has a greater long-term impact in terms of reduced working hours and lower earnings for women. For women with lower school certificate, the gender gap in terms of time in the workforce is especially wide. It is also noticeable that less educated parents of children under three years of age are significantly less likely to utilize available childcare options.
“A major factor for this inequality is the complicated, decentralized and often non-transparent process for allocating childcare places. Parents with higher education have advantages in terms of the necessary knowledge and resources to successfully navigate the registration process,” says Dr. Henning Hermes of the University of Düsseldorf, summing up the hypothesis of a research team with members from several institutions.
The German Centre For Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW), the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU), the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Augsburg and the ifo Institute took part in the research project. Funding was provided by the Jacobs Foundation and the Research Council of Norway. Prof. Philipp Lergetporer conducts research at the Global Center for Family Enterprise at TUM Campus Heilbronn.