In September 2021, another data collection stage of the Cohort ’18 study was completed. For the course of a year, we asked mothers raising 2,5-year-olds via telephone how their daily lives, childcare, employment careers have developed after the end of their parental leave (GYED) period. A total of 5,700 mothers shared their experiences with us during this stage of the research.

The preliminary data show that the families, raising a 2 and a half years old child at the centre of the study, often expanded further. Fifteen percent of mothers have given birth to another child since then, and one-tenth were expecting at the time of the data collection.

Overall, apart from raising children, more than a third of mothers have returned to the labour market. In addition, many, almost ten percent of mothers study while raising their child.

How are the everyday lives of working mothers? The majority of working mothers with young children returned to their previous jobs, but for one-tenth of them this resulted in a change in their tasks or position. Nevertheless one-third of them started working in a new job after having children. It is clear from the mothers’ responses that a lifestyle of bearing small children requires a great deal of flexibility in terms of employment. One-third of working mothers raising a 2,5-year-old child have taken on part-time employment, and 50 percent of them work flexible hours. At the same time, one-third of them also work weekends and one-tenth of them also cover night shifts, at least once a month. In terms of the subjective assessment of time spent with a young child, half of the mothers working besides bearing their 2,5-year-olds feel they can spend enough time with their child.