TRADE-OFFS

TITLE: Work-family trade-offs in context: labour market conditions, gender differences in parental career trajectories and family well-being (TRADE-OFFS)

AGREEMENT NUMBER: 101286616

FUNDING PROGRAMME: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

CONSORTIUM: Institutt for Samfunnsforskning (Norway) - coordinatore; Aarhus Universitet (Denmark); Institut fuer Arbeitsmarkt - und Berufsforschung (IAB) der Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit (Germany); Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (Spain); Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain); Università degli Studi di Macerata (Italy); CEU gmbh (Austria); Wirtschaftsuniversitat Wien (Austria); Budapest Szakpolitikai Elemzo Intezet Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag (Hungary); Elte Kozgazdasag- Es Regionalis Tudományi Kutatokozpont (Hungary); Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary – partner associato).

RUNTIME: from 01/01/2027 to 31/12/2029

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

Europe faces significant societal challenges, including declining fertility rates, aging populations, and a shortage of skilled labor – all of which jeopardize economic resilience and sustainability. Addressing them requires unlocking the full potential of caregivers as active participants in the labor market, while simultaneously supporting family well-being and health. Based on a comprehensive empirical approach and using high-quality data, TRADE-OFFS will engage policy makers, social partners, public employers, NGOs and advocacy groups in dialogue about how to effectively and equitably reduce work–family trade-offs for parents, thereby contributing to gender equality and sustainable growth. TRADE-OFFS’ carefully selected consortium consisting of accomplished labor economists and sociologists from Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Hungary will provide ground-breaking knowledge about the dynamics linking work–family trade-offs to gender inequalities in parental career trajectories and family well-being, analyzing them across three interrelated societal domains: (1) workplaces, industries, and occupations; (2) individual and family diversity; and (3) national institutional contexts and policies. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, the project uses longitudinal administrative data linking employees and employers, cross-national survey data, survey experiments, in-depth interviews, and co-creation activities with stakeholders. TRADE-OFFS will provide stakeholders with a better understanding of gender disparities in parental career trajectories and their societal impacts, and will deliver evidence-based insights and actionable policy advice, including a co-created policy option toolbox for policymakers and employers. By fostering inclusive stakeholder engagement and promoting open science, TRADE-OFFS ensures that its findings are accessible, scalable, and impactful, contributing to longer-term economic resilience and equitable development across Europe.

TOTAL EU GRANT 3.257.852,96€

UNIMC GRANT 227.500,00€

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: prof.ssa Isabella Crespi

PROJECT WEBSITE: -

DISSEMINATION AND EVENTS: -