OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers
This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected labour market, social policy and migration studies prepared for use within the OECD. Authorship is usually collective, but principal writers are named. The papers are generally available only in their original language - English or French - with a summary in the other.
- ISSN: 1815199X (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/1815199X
Early Maternal Employment and Child Development in Five OECD Countries
More mothers with young children are in paid work than in the past. There is a long-running
debate on possible negative effects of maternal employment on child development. For the
first time, this paper presents an initial comparative analysis of longitudinal data on maternal
employment patterns after birth on child cognitive and behavioural development. The paper
examines data of five OECD countries with different types and intensity of support provided
to families to reconcile work and family life. The evidence suggests that a return to paid
work by mothers within six months after childbirth may have negative effects on child
outcomes, particularly on cognitive development, but the effects are small and not
universally observed. Other factors such as family income, parental education and quality of
interaction with children have greater influences on child development than early maternal
employment per se.
Keywords: maternal employment, birth cohort studies, behavior problems, childcare, cognitive development
JEL:
D60: Microeconomics / Welfare Economics / Welfare Economics: General;
J16: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demographic Economics / Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination;
J22: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demand and Supply of Labor / Time Allocation and Labor Supply;
J13: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demographic Economics / Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth;
D10: Microeconomics / Household Behavior and Family Economics / Household Behavior: General
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