Previous studies in the Nordic context report a positive association between a stronger labor market
attachment and entry into parenthood (i.e., first birth), but the association is stronger for men than for
women, and it is modified by educational attainment and life-course stage. This study asks whether and
how the relationship between employment status and entry into parenthood has changed for women and
men born in Finland in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. We first examine how the life-course
situations in which women and men make decisions on entering parenthood have changed across
cohorts. We use total population register data and event history methods and compare cohorts that
differ, for example, in terms of the macroeconomic conditions they encountered during their young
adulthood. Our results show that employment uncertainty, measured as unemployment, has not
increased across cohorts. Women and men who are (still) childless are increasingly combining studies
and paid employment. The positive association between a stronger labor market attachment and entry
into parenthood has remained unchanged, while a cohort trend towards delayed or foregone entry into
parenthood occurs regardless of labor market status. To tackle Finland’s exceptionally low fertility
rates at the policy level, we emphasize the need to design policies that better target women and men in
different life situations.