Women’s Adverse Health Events and Labor Market Participation

Abstract

This dissertation contributes to the research of the changes in labor market participation after a female adverse health event. It focuses on how elements of the Dutch institutional setting relate to the impact of adverse health on employment. The first study provides a general overview of the employment adjustments of women who have suffered from an adverse health event. The analysis considers the differences in employment adjustments among women who have different job protection coverage after the adverse health event. The second study analyses the employment gains of the nationwide breast cancer screening program, which is a health policy aimed at early diagnosis of breast cancer. The third study researches the difference in spillover effects after a breast cancer diagnosis on the spouse’s employment among families with different coverage of the sick leave policy. The overarching question researched in the three studies is whether the labor market consequences of a female adverse health event could be affected by the institutional setting.