LabFam

We’re proud to introduce one of our keynote speakers for the final conference of the ERC project LABFER: Elena Stancanelli 🎤

How do labour markets shape the most intimate decisions in our lives—whether to form a family, have children, or how to share care? 👶🏽💼 This question sits at the heart of Elena Stancanelli’s research.

An economist affiliated with the Paris School of Economics and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Stancanelli is internationally recognised for her work on labour economics, family economics, and the economics of ageing 📊. She is in the Top 5% Women in Economics in REPEC. Her research has shed light on how taxation, labour market institutions, and public policies influence household behaviour—particularly the division of paid and unpaid work within families.

Using rigorous empirical methods and innovative data, she has contributed important evidence on how policy design can either reinforce or reduce gender inequalities in both the labour market and the home ⚖️. Her work speaks directly to some of today’s most pressing challenges: balancing work and care, supporting fertility in low-birth-rate societies, and designing labour market institutions that work for families.

At Labour Market Transformations and the Future of Families (25–26 September 2026, Warsaw) 📍, she will bring this perspective to a broader discussion on how structural changes in work—driven by technology, globalisation, and shifting employment relations—interact with family life 🌍.

📣 Call for Papers is now open (deadline: 14 June 2026) 🗓️

Join us in Warsaw in September to be part of this timely conversation!

🎄 New Research Alert | Mental Health, Social Media & Crisis Contexts

As we enter the Christmas season—a time often associated with joy, connection, and celebration—many mental health struggles remain hidden behind curated smiles and festive posts. Social media feeds filled with “perfect” moments can quietly intensify stress, loneliness, and comparison, even as they promise connection.

This reality makes our latest published review especially timely.

📘 What did social media really do to mental health during COVID-19?

Rather than focusing on the pandemic itself, this paper examines how social media platforms shaped psychological wellbeing during the crisis.

🔍 Based on empirical research from 2020–2024 across four major databases, the study Psychological Well-Being and Social Media During the Pandemic: Evidence, Research Gaps, and Future Research Directions

by Jolanta Kowal Jaroslaw Klebaniuk Karolina Olejnik and Paweł Weichbroth provides a systematic synthesis of evidence—addressing long-standing contradictions in the literature.

Key findings reveal a dual impact:

⚠️ Negative outcomes linked to social media use

Stress

Anxiety

Depression

Loneliness

Violence

Eating disorders

🌱 Positive outcomes also emerged

Engagement

Fellowship

Social support

Assurance

Advice

Creativity

The findings underline a crucial message: in times of crisis—and especially during emotionally charged periods like the holidays—social media can fuel psychological distress, but it can also offer connection, support, and resilience.

📌 The paper further highlights:

Gaps in current research

The role of teletherapy and digital mental health support

Policy and economic strategies to mitigate digital psychological risks and misinformation

💡 As festive imagery fills our feeds this season, this research reminds us to look beyond appearances and consider how digital environments shape mental health—often in unseen ways.

🔗 Explore the full paper and join the conversation on creating healthier digital spaces. https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/ceej-2025-0023

🌟 We are thrilled to share great news! 🌟

Our article “Two sides of a coin: The relationship between work autonomy and childbearing”, authored by Beata Osiewalska and Anna Matysiak, published in Journal of Marriage and Family (87(3), pp. 1178–1199), has been awarded the main prize in the 1st Edition of the Award Competition of the Committee on Demographic Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (KND PAN) for an outstanding scientific achievement in population studies.

🔗 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.13066

🔗 KND PAN: https://knd.pan.pl/

The competition attracted significant interest, with high-quality submissions . The Award Committee highlighted the originality of our contribution, its importance for research on demographic processes, and its relevance for understanding how working conditions relate to family decisions.

We are deeply honored that our work was selected as the top scientific article in this year’s competition.

A big thank you to the Award Committee and the Committee on Demographic Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences for this recognition — and to everyone involved in supporting this research.

✨ We are excited to continue exploring the intersection of labour market conditions, autonomy, well-being, and family behaviour.

Listen to our podcast presenting this awarded paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se1RM_wfbWE

Two sides of a coin: The relationship between work autonomy and childbearing In this episode of the LabFam podcast, we dive into the fascinating world of family planning and explore a crucial—but often overlooked—factor: a mother’s fr...