The thesis deals with choices made by women on maternity leave living in Prague, predominantly in the area of work and family life. Women's choices do not always represent their preferences and are strongly influenced by the institutional conditions and family interests. Women's preferences are also determined by the idea of maternity preferred by them- Another focus of the thesis is the construction of symbolic boundaries between mothers and childless women. Mothers differentiate themselves from childless women based on moral criteria and from each other based on the understanding of motherhood. Mothers tend to describe maternity leave as a happy period and do not think of it as of a loss of freedom or a sacrifice. However, they admit that long-term maternity leave is stereotypical and can induce feelings of isolation. For that reason, a part of women try to break free, at least partially, from the childcare and return into the realm of adults.

This dissertation consists of three essays in health economics. The first chapter, "The Built Environment and Obesity in Philadelphia: The Use of Satellite Imagery and Transfer Learning," investigates the relationship between the built environment and health outcomes, specifically obesity prevalence in Philadelphia. The built environment can affect obesity prevalence through the physical activity environment and the food environment. The main innovation of this paper is to use a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract data representing the features of the built environment from high-resolution satellite imagery. Because of the lack of information on the food environment in satellite images, I combined a proxy variable for food access together with the feature variables to represent the characteristics of the built environment. I then employed the Elastic Net model to test the relationship between the feature variables of the built environment and obesity prevalence in Philadelphia. The results show that the built environment is highly associated with obesity prevalence. This study also provides some evidence that the features of the built environment that have been extracted from satellite imagery can reduce the role of food access in estimating obesity, as well as that adding these features can explain more variance of obesity. The second chapter, "Paid Maternity Leave and Child Health: Evidence from Urban China," uses the China Health and Nutrition Survey data to study whether the extension of paid maternity leave affects children's health outcomes in urban China. This paper uses the time variation of the implementation of a maternity leave policy across different provinces from 1987 to 1991 in China to estimate a two-way fixed-effects model. The results suggest that the expansion of paid maternity leave has no impact on children's health in urban China. The last chapter, titled "The Association between Paid Maternity Leave and Mothers' Health and Labor Outcomes in Urban China," studies whether the extension of paid maternity leave in 1987-1991 would affect the labor and health outcomes of mothers in urban China by using the China Health and Nutrition Survey data. Based on the variation in the implementation time of a paid maternity leave policy across different provinces, this paper employs a two-way fixed-effects model to estimate the policy impact on mothers' health and labor outcomes in China. The findings indicate that extending the duration of paid maternity leave is associated with an increased likelihood of mothers remaining employed after childbirth. However, the study also reveals a negative relationship between the extension of paid maternity leave and mothers' wage rates. / Economics

My dissertation consists of three essays on the Korean labor market. The first essay studies how the extensive provision of maternity leave and childcare leave in Korea affects the employment and wages of young women. This reform is expected to increase the labor supply and decrease the labor demand for young women. As a result, the mean wage of young women should fall. But the direction of the change in their employment probability is hard to infer because it depends on the relative magnitudes of the shifts of the labor supply and demand curves. A difference-in-difference-in-differences model having older women, older men, and young men simultaneously as the control group suggests that neither the employment nor the hourly wages of young women are affected. The second essay explores why married men have higher hourly earnings and employment propensity than otherwise comparable single men. In a fixed effects regression, which controls for the selection of more productive men into marriage, married men do not experience faster growth in earnings and employment rate before marriage. Rather, when marriage takes place, the earnings of married men start increasing relative to those of single men. Also, that South Korean men have a greater earnings growth after marriage than U.S. men is consistent with the national difference in the degree of specialization within married households. Married men are more likely to work than single men only for the first few years of marriage, and single men outperform married men afterwards. The final essay studies why gender differences in earnings and earnings growth exist among new Korean college graduates before women take time off of work for marriage and motherhood. I find that women do not face an initial earnings gap after graduating college compared to men who finished military service. The lower earnings that women receive can be entirely explained by the difference in age at graduation between men and women. However, women's earnings grow slower than those of men who finished military service. This is partly because a greater percentage of women graduate from colleges of education, which provide slower earnings growth than other types of colleges. Most of the gender difference in earnings growth remains unexplained. / text

Parental leave is a broad term that encompasses maternity and/or paternity leave to care for an infant. Parental leave provides job protection for workers and may be paid or unpaid, with provisions varying throughout the world. Every industrialized nation offers some form of paid parental leave, with the exception of the United States, whose only federal policy regarding parental leave is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a law that allows eligible workers to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid, job protected leave for the birth or adoption of a child. This research project explored how parents understand and navigate the process of parental leave in the United States, and, using an anthropological perspective, situated these narratives into the overall framework of parental leave policy and use in this country. Data were collected through surveys (N=32) and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with expectant parents, most of whom were expecting their first child (N=20). The results of this study found that parental leave is valued, especially for the purposes of bonding and establishing breastfeeding. Parents were grateful for the length of leave they were able to take, but many would have liked to have a longer leave. Their decisions on whether to use parental leave were shaped by cultural norms relating to gender and worker roles within society, and also the ways in which parents embodied their role as mother or father. Parents also faced a complex situation regarding the availability and accessibility of parental leave within their workplace. While some parents had the option of taking job-protected leave under the FMLA, they did not feel that the leave was accessible, either because they could not afford unpaid leave, or because they feared that taking more leave than what was considered to be the norm in their workplace would have a detrimental impact on their career.

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Denna studie avsåg att beskriva hur kvinnliga fastighetsmäklare upplever att en mammaledighet kan komma att påverka deras karriärer. Vi ville undersöka om blivande mammor upplever en oro inför och efter en mammaledighet samt i vilken utsträckning de anser att lönemodellen skulle vara en påverkande faktor. Vidare ville vi undersöka om fastighetsmäklares yrke är anpassat för en mammaledighet, om konkurrensen inom branschen påverkar huruvida yrket går att kombinera med barn och om det finns några hinder som påverkar kvinnans karriär när hon återgår till arbetet efter mammaledigheten.  Tillvägagångssättet för arbetet var kvalitativa studier i form av intervjuer med kvinnliga fastighetsmäklare. Vårt resultat visade att fastighetsmäklares yrke är anpassat för mammaledighet, men däremot inte för när kvinnan väl kommer tillbaka från mammaledigheten. Majoriteten av respondenterna menade att det var som tuffast när de kom tillbaka efter sin mammaledighet. Konkurrensen inom branschen påverkar huruvida yrket går att kombinera med barn både inför och efter mammaledigheten. Det finns hinder som påverkar kvinnans karriär vid återkomsten efter mammaledigheten och det största hindret är att hon inte längre är lika tillgänglig som tidigare, på grund av att hon blivit mamma. Vi anser att vidare forskning bör studera anledningen mer djupgående till varför kvinnor valt att sluta arbeta som mäklare efter deras mammaledighet. Samt undersöka om det finns någon vision eller plan inom branschorganisationen, för att minska antalet avregistreringar bland kvinnliga mäklare som väljer att skaffa familj. Att byta ut våra kvinnliga respondenter mot män som varit pappalediga och tillämpa vår studie på dessa är ett annat förslag till vidare forskning. Studien kan inspirera branschen och förbunden att utforma mer stabila och bättre villkor, bättre förutsättningar och större trygghet för mammalediga kvinnor. Studien kan även ge arbetsgivare en inblick i, kunskap och förståelse för hur kvinnliga fastighetsmäklares karriärer påverkas av deras mammaledighet och fylla det kunskapsgap som finns. / This study was intended to describe how female real estate agents experience that maternity leave may affect their careers. We wanted to investigate whether future mothers experience an anxiety before and after maternity leave and to what extent they consider that the salary model would be an influencing factor. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate whether the profession of real estate agent is adapted to maternity leave, if the competition in the industry affects whether the profession can be combined with children and if there are any barriers that affect the woman's career when she returns to work after maternity leave. The approach for work was qualitative studies in the form of interviews with female real estate agents. Our result showed that the real estate agent's profession is adapted for maternity leave, but on the other hand not for when she returns from maternity leave. The majority of respondents said it was the toughest part when they returned after their maternity leave. The competition in the industry affects whether the profession can be combined with children both before and after maternity leave. There are barriers that affect the woman's career on the return after maternity leave and the biggest obstacle is that she is no longer as available as before, due to becoming a mother.  We believe further research should study the reason more profoundly why women chose to stop working as a real estate agent after their maternity leave. As well as investigating whether there is any vision or a plan within the industry organization, to reduce the number of deregisters among female brokers who choose to acquire a family. Replacing our female respondents, to men who have been parental leave, and apply our study on these is another suggestion for further research. The study can inspire the industry and the unions to formulate more stable and better terms, better conditions and greater security for maternity women. The study can also provide employers with an insight into, knowledge and understanding of how women's real estate agents are affected by their maternity leave and fulfill the gap of knowledge that exists.

The thesis deals with comparison of mother centers' development in Germany and in the Czech Republic. The first part defines mother centers, characterizes their principles and role in the society. In the next part the process of mother centers' establishment is described and problems which may occur. The main part of the thesis contains characterization of mother centers' development in Germany, where these centers were founded, and their development in the Czech Republic. A concrete example illustrates M-CENTER FOR YOUNG FAMILY in České Budějovice. German and Czech mother centers experienced similar progress and differ only in offers of activities. The last part of this work concentrates on the importance of mother centers for mothers, fathers, children and our society. Main benefit for mothers is the possibility to come out of isolation where they end up after their all-day-long care of babies. Mother centers significantly contribute to development of civil society.

This thesis examines the reforms of Sickness Insurance that have been realized in chosen countries of European Union. I've focused myself on Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Finland and every single reform step that have been taken in between 2003 -- 2005 in these countries. I've investigated how the situation in each country was before the reform came true and explored the main reasons that I believe have led to these reforms. I've also stated which impacts these reforms were supposed to have and after that I've studied the real impacts and consequences that were brought by this change in each country. You can see these in multiple graphs followed by my explanation whether and why I think the reform step was succesful. Judging by the succes that was noted in examinated countries I've decided which path is best to follow as far as the reform in Sickness Insurance is concerned. Thanks to previous examination of reforms that differs from each another I was at the end able to recommned which steps should be taken in Czech Republic since some kind of Sickness Insurance reform is needed as well. I believe comparing foreign Sickness Insurance reforms and my suggestions can help to improve Sickness Insurance system in CR and lead to the solution of various problems Czech Republic hasn't coped with yet.

This thesis deals with possibilities the employees have when they are returning to work from maternity or parental leave. The theoretical part of the thesis analyzes different flexible working arrangements in the czech labour market and current legislation for maternity and parental leave. The practical part is focused on a comparison among selected european countries in flexible working arrangements and formal childcare for children under three years of age and from three years to the minimum compulsory school age. Also discussed is the current situation in two surveyed companies. The main objective is to confirm or disprove the stated hypotheses and create suggestions which have a positive affect on an early return from maternity and parental leave for companies and government.

This thesis aims to estimate the macroeconomic impact of maternity and parental/paternal leave in the Czech Republic and Brazil. In addition, the thesis stresses out the costs of Czech model application to Brazil and vice-versa. The first chapter brings a theoretical framework. It compares the analyzed policies in both countries and introduces the relevant terms. The second chapter estimates the costs of maternity and parental/paternal leave related to public expenditure and GDP for the years 2005-2014 and brings own simulation model for Czech model application to Brazil and vice-versa. The third chapter analyses the inefficiencies and suggest possible mitigation. The results show the costs of 0.71% of GDP and 1.66% of public expenditure in the Czech Republic and 0.50% GDP and 2.27% of public expenditure in Brazil in 2014. The Czech model applied in Brazil would be very costly and the opposite scenario would lead to the decrease of macroeconomic burden in the Czech Republic. The thesis also analyzes the influence of maternal and parental leave in other areas, such as labor market, where the current structure may penalize Czech women in long term. By this analysis, the thesis contributes to the current debate about the impact, the length and costs of maternity and parental leave.