First child and first job transitions in Italy

Daniele Spizzichino, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Romina Fraboni, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)

In Italy the timing of the various steps of the transition into adulthood have been postponed and the overall process of becoming an adult results to be lenghtned: end of studies, entry into the labor market, formation of a stable union and having a child. Particularly younger birth cohorts are facing with atypical working conditions that are more spread among women than among men and that increase the fragmentation of career paths. In this context, the aim is to explore the relationship between having the first child and entry into the labor market and study to what extent the two phenomena are correlated. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the characteristics of the family of origin and gender differences in the transitions of individuals. The data used come from the Multipurpose household survey (Istat, 2009). The family of origin plays and important role on the transition to first child: it is especially the family dimension that play an influence and the level of education of the father. The social class of origin play a less relevant role. Also the family of origin is important for the transition to first job: in this case specifically, the father’s level of education and the social class of origin.