1. LAMAS Working Group 29 June-1 July 2016
Agenda Item 6.1 Ad-hoc module 2018 Task force report
Eurostat

2. Pre-testing 1st (big) round: 2nd (small) round: Results:
Hungary, (Iceland), the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia
Using model questionnaire after 2nd task force meeting testing 16 variables
3 cognitive tests and 4 field tests
2nd (small) round:
Germany tested in a cognitive test a draft model questionnaire after the 3rd meeting of the task force.
Results:
In general module is feasible with 1st round showing many points for improvement and some quite cognitively demanding variables.
Simplifications mainly regarding CATI necessary.
2nd round shows that many improvements could be made.
Translation of model questionnaire remains challenge (cannot be expected to be possible literally in every language).
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3. Variable selection old no. Variable name Main action new no. 1 CARERES
Care responsibilities 1
CARERES
Keep improve some wording 2
CHCARLIM
Replace by CHCAREFF 4 3
CHCARUSE
Keep
CHCAROBS
Keep deal with high share of do not need/want 5
DECARLIM
Drop
Flexible work arrangements 6
WORKARR1
Replace by POSSTEND / POSORGWT
5+6 7
WORKARR2 8
WORKARR3 9
WORKOBS
Keep simplify, reduce categories 10
RECONCILE
Career breaks 11
STOPWORK
Keep simplify, tailor to target populations 12
STOPLENG
Keep collect less detailed information 13
PARLEAV
Keep evtl. improve information collected 14
STOPIMP 15
REDWORK 16
DEREDSTP
Keep focus on work interruptions
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4. CARERES Worked out well
Changes to cover alternating forms of care for children outside the household  no minimum hour threshold but asking for occasional and regular care.
Asking for partner's instead of spouse's children.
Q2_careres
[And] Outside your household, do you or partner have children younger than 15 years you take care of?
Yes , regularly (2) Yes, occasionally (3) No
Q3_careres
Do you take care of relatives or children of yours from the age of 15 who are ill or disabled or elderly relatives? They may live in- or outside your household.
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5. CHCARUSE Variable works
Hour threshold dropped to cover bigger variety in care and work schedules. E.g. to cover alternating care every second week
Q1_chcaruse
Do you normally use childcare services like kindergardens, crèches, after school centers or professional childminders?
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6. CHCAROBS
Variable most likely underestimates importance of childcare service infrastructure
Should also cover demand side and eventually extend target population
Pre-test Destatis: can be confusing for parents with very young children or children at school age
EoV: 23/34  proposed version (below), 7 the original (only supply side), 2 with large target population
Q1_chcarobs
What is the main reason that you do not use childcare services (for some of your children)?
… (5) No need or interest 
Q2_chcarobs
Why is that the case?
arranged with partner (2) arranged with grandparents or others, (3) used services are sufficient, (4) children can take care for themselves (5) other reasons
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7. CHCAREFF To replace hypothetical CHCARLIM and DECARLIM
Measures concrete behaviour, broader spectrum of adaptions of employment (analysis together with LEAVREAS/SEEKREAS) and a broader target population
Pre-test in D: variable works with dropping introductory question and focus on current employment situation.
Q1_chcareff
Have your care responsibilities for your children had any effect on your current employment?
Q2_chcareff
What is the most important effect?
Changed something to earn more money, (2) Reduced working hours, (3) Took on less demanding tasks in job(s), (4) Changed job or employer to facilitate reconciliation, (5) Being on parental or another family leave, (6) Other change
Q1_chcareff(new)
Have your care responsibilities an effect on your current employment? Please choose the most important one.
(1) Changed something to earn more money, (2) Reduced working hours, (3) Took on less demanding tasks in job(s), (4) Changed job or employer to facilitate reconciliation, (5) Being on parental or another family leave, (6) Other effect, (7) No effect
 LAMAS opinion on proposal of asking one question. Alternative with two questions for countries who consider that being better.
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8. POSSTEND/POSORGWT
Replace WORKARR1 by variables already used in the AHM2010
Model questions were developed using British and Irish questionnaire from 2010
Pretest Destatis: respondents normally do not differentiate between days/hours. Not all forms likewise included by respondents
WORKARR2 and 3 were dropped because of to low incidence
Q1_posstend
Is it possible for you to vary the start or end of your working day for care reasons?
Q1_posorgwt
Is it possible for you to arrange your working time to take at least one full day off for care reasons without using your annual leave?
generally possible (2) rarely possible (3) not possible (4) don't know
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9. WORKOBS
Unclear pre-test results if splitting variable in two questions is a good approach pro: easier for use in CATI, avoid overreporting contra: too abstract, respondents do not understand what we want to know, high cognitive burden
Q1_workobs
Is there something about your main job that makes it especially difficult to reconcile work and your care responsibilities?
Q2_workobs
What is it? If there are several aspects please indicate the main one.
long working hours, (2) unpredictable or inflexible working hours, (3) long commute, (4) demanding or exhausting job, (5) lack of support from employer or colleagues, (6) another difficulty.
Q1_workobs
Is there something about your main job that makes it especially difficult to reconcile work and your care responsibilities? Please indicate the main difficulty.
long working hours, (2) unpredictable or inflexible working hours, (3) long commute, (4) demanding or exhausting job, (5) lack of support from employer or colleagues, (6) another difficulty, (7) no special difficulty.
 LAMAS opinion on proposal of asking one question. Alternative with two questions for countries who consider that being better.
Eurostat

10. STOPWORK
Pre-tests showed less problems in recalling but more in some wording and in the attempt to cover a broad and diverse target population
Need to clarify what "stop working" means. Specify target population with tailored question wording. Clarify change of perspective form current to past situation.
"One month" minimum threshold is finally kept
Q1a_stopwork
Looking back, did you not work for at least one month to take care of your children? This can mean that you had maternity, parental leave, an interruption agreed with your employer, quit your job, shut down your business or did not start working right after you completed your education.
Q1b_stopwork
Did you never work mainly because you took care of your children?
Yes (2) No (3) Never had children
 LAMAS opinion on simplified approach and one-month threshold
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11. STOPLENG
Cognitively very demanding by asking for exact years and months but absolutely necessary to assess impact of career breaks
Ask for interruption in broad brackets
Q1_stopleng
Taking together all those times when you did not work, how long was that approximately? Please include maternity[/paternity] and parental leave.
Up to 6 months
More than 6 months up to 1 year
More than 1 year up to 2 years
More than 2 years up to 3 years
More than 3 years up to 5 years
More than 5 years
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12. PARLEAV
Change by task force: ask also for maternity/paternity; important to collect in some countries, might help to differentiate
Unproblematic question in first round pre-tests, in Destatis pre-test asking for maternity/paternity confusing because compulsory/not existing
Q1_parleav
Was a part of that time when you did not work for childcare reasons taken as parental leave?
(1) Yes, in combination with maternity/paternity (2) Yes, only parental leave, (3) No, only maternity/paternity, (4) None of both
Proposed changes (compared to LAMAS document):
Leave it to countries to add information on maternity/paternity without asking
Question sequence STOPWORK > PARLEAV > STOPLENG to facilitate recall of complete work break
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13. DEREDSTP
Very low incidence in field tests but variable of probably growing importance
Using a comparable approach to STOPWORK and asking separately for work interruptions and reductions
Q1_deredstp
Looking back again: Did you not work for at least one month to take care of ill, disabled or elderly relatives from the age of 15? This can mean that you had a special leave, an interruption agreed with your employer, quit your job, shut down your business.
(1) Yes (2) No (3) Never had to take care of dependent relatives
Q2_deredstp
Did you reduce your working time for at least one month to take care of ill, disabled or elderly relatives from the age of 15? (1) Yes (2) No
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14. Proposal for repeated AHM
old no.
Variable name
Comments
A) Current care situation 1
CARERES 2
CHCARUSE 3
CHCAROBS 4
CHCAREFF 5
WORKOBS 6
RECONCIL
B) Care related employment history 7
NUMCHILD
Number of children who have been brought up 8
STOPWORK 9
PARLEAV 10
STOPLENG 11
DEREDSTP
EoV: 24/34 support the proposed dropping of variables for the repeated module
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15. LAMAS is invited to:
Take note of the pre-test results on the model questionnaire of the first and second test round
Give their opinion on the selected variables for the ad-hoc module 2018
Comment on the variable definitions and proposed model questions (especially CHCAREFF, WORKOBS, PARLEAV)
Give their opinion on the selected variables for the repeated module on reconciliation