Conference 2026

The world of work is changing rapidly, reshaping the conditions under which people form families and have children.

Rapid technological change across the globally interconnected economies have substantially transformed the labour markets, resulting in higher skill requirements, new more flexible but also insecure forms of employment and larger social inequalities. These new conditions of labour force participation have profoundly reshaped the career opportunities of women and men, in particular in the context of care obligations. At the same time, fertility has declined in many advanced economies, raising important questions about how changing employment conditions influence family formation and childbearing.

This conference brings together researchers from demography, sociology, economics, and related disciplines to discuss how labour market transformations interact with family dynamics. It marks the concluding event of the ERC project LABFER – Globalisation and Technology-Driven Labour Market Change and Fertility, funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant No. 866207).

Keynote Speakers

• Elena Stancanelli, Paris School of Economics, France
• Yue Qian, University of British Columbia, Canada

Topics for Submission

We invite submissions of original research on the consequences of labour market transformations for family dynamics, as well as for women’s and men’s labour market outcomes, health and well-being, or child outcomes, in particular driven by digitalisation, globalization, and broader economic or societal shocks. Contributions focusing on labour market transformations themselves are welcome as well.

Submission Guidelines: 

Authors are invited to submit an abstract of up to one page or a full paper by 14^th  June 2026 via submission form:

Submit Your Abstract

Notification about acceptance by end of June 2026.
The conference will be held at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer any travel grants or reimbursements.

Contact

For scientific questions: annamatysiak@uw.edu.pl or a.pavelea@uw.edu.pl
For administrative questions: awielgopolan@wne.uw.edu.pl

Organising Committee

• Anna Matysiak, University of Warsaw
• Anna Wielgopolan, University of Warsaw
• Beata Osiewalska, University of Warsaw, Cracow University of Economics
• Alina Pavelea, University of Warsaw
• Wojciech Hardy, University of Warsaw
• Lucas van der Velde, University of Warsaw, Warsaw School of Economics