The employment share of women increases in Germany while the fertility rate decreases. These patterns are often interpreted as indicating the difficulty of balancing work and family life. This project evaluates the effects of (family, labour market or social) policy measures aimed at improving the work-life-balance. We focus on four issues: (1) an evaluation of the effects of parental leave in terms of employment and wages, (2) the design of a reform of the tax-transfer system that supports the employment of young mothers, (3) firm policy measures to enhance equal opportunities and a better work-life-balance and (4) the relationship between employment and fertility based on life cycle data.