What if parental leave policies shape more than just short-term labor outcomes? While much of the existing research focuses on how such policies impact parents’ careers, Sofiana Sinani, winner of the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025, took a different angle: How do extended periods of maternal care influence children’s future aspirations — especially their choice of university studies and careers? Her project examines a 1995 policy change in the Czech Republic, where mothers were offered the option to extend their leave beyond the standard job-protection period. The results are following: boys exposed to longer maternal care were significantly less likely to apply to stereotypically “female” fields, such as education or healthcare. The research suggests that parental leave doesn’t just affect today’s workforce — it can shape the beliefs and ambitions of the next generation. In this interview, we explore the project that earned Sofiana Sinani the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025.

1. What inspired you to explore the relation between the maternal care and children’s occupational choices?

In the parental leaves literature, part of the research aims to understand what the optimal conditions are for raising children (early in their human capital formation years) and how parental involvement influences the children’s beliefs, attitudes, and long-term decisions like education and occupation choices. As I was reviewing the literature on parental leave policies, I noticed a surprising gap: while many studies examine labor market outcomes, none had asked how parental leave shapes children’s career aspirations prior to entering university. That question drove me to this project.

I find that when the affected children applied to university, the boys in these cohorts were significantly less likely to choose fields that are stereotypically “female.”

2. What are the main findings you would highlight?

These are the key takeaways from my project:

• Policy: In 1995, the Czech Republic offered mothers the option to extend their leave by one year beyond their job-protection period, opting into temporary unemployment.
• Research question: Does being exposed to a stay-at-home mother for longer during childhood affect children’s occupation preferences?
• Main result: Boys exposed to longer maternal care applied less to traditionally “female” university fields (e.g., education and healthcare programs). I see no effect on daughters.
• Mechanism: The shift isn’t driven by changes in academic ability, but possibly by intra-household transmission of gender norms.

Mothers who took the extended leave spent at least one more year at home, reinforcing their role as primary caregivers. To investigate whether the mother’s labor market inactivity transmitted gendered preferences for occupations, I look at the field-of-study university applications, and define programs as stereotypically female (male) if they had a historical female graduation rate above (below) 80 (20) percent. I find that when the affected children applied to university, the boys in these cohorts were significantly less likely to choose fields that are stereotypically “female.” I find no change for girls, indicating that while longer maternal care can reshape boys’ views of gendered occupations, girls’ preferences are not easily malleable. So, beyond the usual debates over costs and labor market effects, my findings confirm a meaningful benefit of parental leave extensions: they can help redefine gender norms for the next generation.

“Simply put, I pursued a PhD because my passions became my profession.”

3. Your research lies at the intersection of gender, development, and labor economics. What drives your interest in how social norms and institutional policies shape individual and household behavior? What kind of impact do you hope your work will have?

Economics isn’t an exact science – we constantly ask how events shape behavior and why people make the choices they do. As economists, our goal is to deepen our understanding of human nature and the world we live in. Although we may traditionally think of individuals as purely ‘homo economicus,’ driven by monetary incentives, we know that culture, social norms, and institutional contexts play a powerful role in guiding behavior. My work, and that of many others in this field, explores exactly how these non-pecuniary factors interact with policy. By understanding which norms and institutions support or obstruct desired outcomes, we can design, refine, or even eliminate policies in order to optimize people’s socioeconomic well-being.

4. What led you to pursue a PhD in economics?

Simply put, I pursued a PhD because my passions became my profession. In graduate school, you dedicate your days to questions that genuinely fascinate you and to expand our collective understanding of the world. Sure, academia can be demanding and quite competitive at times, but it also offers unparalleled flexibility: the freedom to explore any topic, collaborate with people, and engage with bright minds who have pushed the research frontier forward.

5. How would you describe your PhD experience at CERGE-EI so far? What have been some of the most rewarding or surprising aspects of your journey as a student and researcher?

One of the key moments I will remember is the internal switch from student to researcher, from learner to a creator of knowledge. This doesn’t happen immediately when the courses are finished; it happens gradually, after the first few research assistantships and first co-authored projects. A PhD is a journey of becoming an independent thinker and writing stories of how your view of the world works. A PhD, at CERGE-EI or any other top institution, can be quite demanding and oftentimes you will find yourself wondering why you chose to pursue this career. And truthfully speaking it will take some time, even years, to see the beauty of the profession. Regardless of where my career takes me, I can already tell that this experience has shaped me into a resourceful and independent person, and that, without a doubt, makes every tough moment worthwhile.

6. What are your academic and professional goals going forward? Are there specific research questions or career paths you’re particularly excited to explore?

My goal is to do research, either in academia or other research institutes. While I do have my own research agenda, I believe any question is important to explore and can be of interest to governments and the general public. Ideally, I would love to combine my research with policy work that could benefit transitioning economies, including my own, Albania.