Occupational Task Content and Marital Intentions in Czechia in the Context of Structural Labour Market Change
Dominika Perdoch Sladka, Anna Matysiak, Journal of Family Research 28(2026)
Objective: This study examines how occupational task content, particularly routine task intensity, is associated with short-term marital intentions among partnered individuals in Czechia.
Background: Technological advances like automation have contributed to structural shifts in labour demand, with routine-intensive occupations often identified as especially vulnerable to wage stagnation, job displacement, and weaker long-term career prospects. Because economic prospects shape family formation and perceived marriageability, occupational task content may be relevant for understanding marital intentions. However, little is known about whether routine-intensive employment is associated with marital plans, or whether this association differs by gender
Method: We analyse data from 1,288 respondents in non-marital partnerships from the Czech Household Panel Survey (2015–2019), linked to occupational task measures from the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations Database (ESCO). Using multinomial logistic regression, we estimate the association between occupational task content and marital intentions.
Results: Men in highly routine-intense occupations are more likely to report no plans to marry. Women’s marital plans do not show a clear association with the content of their occupations.
Conclusion: These results suggest that technological change not only reshapes labour market outcomes but may also influence marital intentions of individuals in occupations most vulnerable to these changes.