Child Labor and Mother's Labor Market Participation: Evidence from Cambodia

Abstract

This paper analyzes child labor participation decision and how it affects intra-household, especially mother’s, labor market participation through the mother-child relationship in the market work. Using Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2014, it shows that a higher probability of child labor increases the incidence of mother’s work. However, it also demonstrates that a mother is less likely to get involved in the market work if the eldest child is a son. This suggests the substitutability between a mother and her eldest son in market work, whereas the eldest daughter tends to do domestic work instead of her working mother.