Human society is dependent on women who ensure their sustainability in the role of mothers. At the same time women participate in the economic prosperity of the family and society. The combination of these two roles puts them at a disadvantage in the labour market. This thesis aims at analyzing the current situation of women from the point of view of motherhood and position on the labour market. The theoretical part deals with two primary areas including social policy and the labour market. Social policy gives information about family policy and state support to mothers in comparison with other countries. The practical part, which is based on methodology, is dedicated to the analysis of the current situation of women and is divided according to the origin of the data. The secondary data were obtained from the public statistical database and the primary one through the questionnaire survey. The outcome of the work reveals significant factors influencing the age at which women have their first child, the dependence between parental leave income, the length of parental leave, and other answers to the research questions.

Backround: Research shows that drinking among women on parental leave is a serious social problem. Women on parental leave can be considered as a group which is vulnerable to addictive behavior. Aims: The aim of this work was to map the situation of alkohol use among women on parental leave living in Prague. There have been set four research questions: 1. What is the prevalence of alcohol use among women in the sample? 2. Do the women on parental leave change their drinking habits over time? 3. Do the women on parental leave feel that parenting is kind of protection against drinking too much alcohol or, on the contrary, they feel that it could be risk factor which can lead to drinking? 4. What are the patterns of alcohol use for women on parental leave in Prague? Methods: Data for research part of this work was obtained using a quantitative questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among respondents via the internet. The sample of respondents was conducted through method of self-selection. The results were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics in excel. Results: Results which we have obtained are showing us, that patterns of drinking alcohol among women from the research sample did change over time. Prevalence of drinking alcohol was the highest before pregnancy. During that time there...

This thesis consists of four empirical studies on women and men in European labour markets. Study I examines effects of the sex of the immediate supervisor on the time men and women spend in initial on-the-job training (OJT) in Sweden. The results show that men receive longer initial OJT than women do, but men’s time in training is independent of the supervisor’s sex. For women in the private sector, the chances of receiving long initial OJT are higher if the immediate supervisor is a man. Study II analyses effects of labour market institutions on the quality of part-time work by comparing the skills and autonomy of female part-time jobs in Britain and Sweden. The results show that female part-time employees in Sweden hold positions of higher skill and have more autonomy compared to their equivalents in Britain. Both British and Swedish part-time employees face relative disadvantages when compared to female full-time workers. Study III examines associations between maternal employment policies and wage penalties for mothers by skill in 10 European countries. The results indicate that, net of variation in female labour force participation, extensive publicly funded childcare is associated with a modest decrease in the motherhood wage penalty, regardless of skill. By contrast, paid maternity leave is weakly associated with a larger motherhood wage gap in less skilled jobs only. Study IV examines the extent to which women’s opportunities to attain positions of high workplace authority are related to maternal employment policies, such as paid parental leave and part-time work. Based on data from 25 European countries, the results show that a high proportion of women working long part-time hours is associated with a wider gender gap in the attainment of high authority positions, to the disadvantage of women. However, paid parental leave appears to be unrelated to the gender authority gap. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: In press. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.

This diploma thesis deals with the problems of combining a family and working life from the point of view of a woman. The main objective set for the thesis was to determine whether women and mothers give precedence to working or family life and which means help them to harmonise their family and working life. Two research questions were determined for the diploma thesis. The first research question is interested in whether and how women manage to combine their working and family life and the second research question relates to the possibilities and obstacles which mothers experience whilst implementing their preferences in the field of family, work and their coordination. The theoretical part of the diploma thesis deals with the current situation in the field of work and family and attempts to coordinate them. Description is provided here of the preferences and ideas women have in the field of employment and the family and the problems of gender, above all gender stereotypes are also described here. The second chapter relates to family policy which currently exists in the Czech Republic. Mention is made here of the development of family policy and also the current situation and the system of social welfare benefits, where benefits are described in more detail. An important area in the problems of harmonisation of family and career is the standing of women on the job market. This chapter of the thesis is focused on the theory of human capital, the standing of women on the job market, working conditions for women, pregnant employees and mothers and last but not least, mention is also made here of discrimination, which may accompany women when they return to the job market after parental leave. Whilst harmonising their family and career, women very often make use of the offer of services relating to childcare for pre-schoolers. The last chapter in the diploma thesis concerns Catherine Hakim?s preference theory. The method chosen for the empirical part of the diploma thesis was enquiry using a semi-structured interview. Six questions were set in advance for the interview with mothers, these being focused on whether family or career is more important for women, which means women use when trying to coordinate their family and working life, whether their ideas relating to these problems correspond to the reality of the situation and whether mothers have encountered any form of discrimination when entering the job market or when returning to work after maternity leave. The last part of the prepared interview related to whether mothers use any services providing care for pre-schoolers and whether mothers have any sort of division of work in the family and whether this division suits them. The survey was participated in by women up to the age of 40 living in the Tábor district at the time of the survey. These women are either divorced, married or living with a boyfriend and have at least one child. Selection of women for participation in the survey took place using the snowball sampling method and the sample of women was thus taken in such a way as to ensure that it is representative. The results of the survey showed that women definitely give precedence to their family and children. All seven women asked agreed on this claim. Even if their preferences were different before the birth, and some wanted to have a professional career, they certainly do not regret it and are happy with their current life.