Blanka Plasová

Parental employment patterns in the Czech Republic: economic rationality or cultural norm?

As one of the post-communist countries, the Czech Republic has gone through a transition from a state-planned to a market economy, which has influenced, among many other processes, the situation in the labour market. The route to economic and political transformation has been described in detail elsewhere (for example Vecernik, 1996; Potůcek, 1998, 1999; Hamplova, 2003). The aim of this chapter was to explore the influence of motherhood and fatherhood on the position in the labour market in the Czech Republic in the context of the work-life reconciliation policy measures. With the results, we would like to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the impact of the institutional setting and the cultural norms related to motherhood and parenthood on the employment of men and women. The chapter concentrates on the situation of Czech mothers and fathers with young children during the period from the beginning of the political changes in 1989 until the aftermath of the global economic crisis in 2009. The distribution of risks regarding labour market participation — insecurity in the labour market and poverty — was considered in the specific cultural and institutional context.