The transition to parenthood is an important life course event which is heavily influenced by social policies, institutions, social norms and gender role attitudes. Previous research has shown that there is a migrant-native employment gap that is particularly evident amongst mothers, pointing at the transition to parenthood as an important turning point. Analysing the return to employment after a woman’s first birth, we aim to examine how the age at arrival and the migrant origin of the spouse, both of which are associated with exposure to social norms, policies and institutions, influence the labour market behaviour of migrant-origin women after experiencing a first birth. We use full-population Finnish register-data on birth cohorts 1980–1999, who experienced a first birth in 2004–2022 (aged 20–40). Among migrant-origin women we focus on those born in Finland or who migrated before the age of 18. We find support for an acculturation hypothesis: the younger migrant-origin women when they arrived, the more similar their behaviour is to that of their majority peers. Some of this is intertwined with other acculturation processes (socio-economic and marital). The women’s spouse’s migrant origin (and generation) also plays a role in her labour market behaviour, but the generational gradient is not as clear.
Presented by:
Elina Kilpi-Jakonen (University of Turku)
Date & time:
November 5, 2025 12:30 pm - November 5, 2025 1:30 pm
Venue:
Online
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