Parental Labor Force Participation Research Articles

Effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on employment outcomes

The temporary 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was intended to reduce child poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic. The expansion’s elimination of an existing phase-in with earnings, however, potentially disincentivized labor supply, raising concerns that it would reduce parent employment. We empirically test for employment effects using difference-in-differences analyses with Current Population Survey data. Across many specifications and multiple sub-groups, we find very small, inconsistently signed, statistically insignificant impacts of the 2021 CTC on parental labor force participation and employment.

Long-Term Effect of Having a Child at Risk of Developmental Delays on Parental Labor Force Participation.

This study aimed to examine the long-term influence of having a child at risk of different developmental delays (communication, mobility, self-care, relating, learning, coping, or behaving) on parental labor force participation as the child grows. A retrospective cohort was conducted using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children survey, Waves 1-8 covering birth to 15 years of age of children. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to explore the odds ratio of mothers being out of the labor force at different children's ages. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to identify the 'risk' of mothers returning to the workforce after leaving. All models were adjusted for the mother's age, education attainment, and employment status at time of birth, as well as marital status at the current wave. There were 5,107 records of children, and 266 of them were at risk of any developmental delays at age 4-5 years. This sample represents 243, 026 children born in Australia in 2003/04. After adjusting for potential confounders, mothers of children at risk of each type of developmental delay (except mobility and self-care) had greater odds of being out of, and not returning to the labor force from children aged 2-3 to 14-15 years, when compared to mothers of children who are not at risk of developmental delays. Similar differences were found for fathers but were distinctly small and with narrower fluctuations, compared to mothers. Policies and programs funded by the government are greatly needed to support the mothers of children at risk of developmental delays.

Caregiving for children and parental labor force participation during the pandemic

The labor force participation rate (LFPR)—the fraction of the population ages 16 and older that is either working or actively looking for work—moved up steadily over the last few years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and stood at 63.3 percent in February 2020. Two months later, the LFPR had plunged to 60.2 percent, and despite some improvement since then, the LFPR has remained depressed relative to its pre-COVID level (fluctuating between 61.4 percent and 61.7 percent since Fall 2020).

Fertility and Parental Labor-Force Participation: New Evidence from a Developing Country in the Balkans

This paper examines the effect of fertility on parental labor-force participation in a developing country. In order to address the potential endogeneity in the fertility decision, I exploit Albanian parental preference for having sons as an exogenous source of variation. Using a repeated cross-section, I find that having an additional child has a positive and statistically significant effect on parental labor-force participation. IV estimates for mothers show that they increase labor supply, especially in terms of hours worked per week and the likelihood of working off-farm. Similarly, father's likelihood of working off-farm and having a second occupation increase as a consequence of further childbearing. The heterogeneity analysis suggests that this positive effect might be the result of two plausible mechanisms: childcare provided by non-parental adults in extended families and greater financial costs of feeding more children.

The Effect of Childhood ADD/ADHD on Parental Workforce Participation

Objective: This research aimed to examine the impact of attention deficit disorder (ADD)/ADHD in children on parental labor force participation across different child age groups. Method: This study utilized a longitudinal, quantitative analyses approach. All data were collected from Wave 6 of the Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) survey. Results: After adjusting for various confounders, mothers whose children were 10/11 years old and had been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were significantly more likely to be out of the labor force compared with those mothers whose child had not been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. The impact was more pronounced for single mothers. No significant influence on paternal labor force participation was found. Conclusion: In assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions for ADD/ADHD, policy makers and researchers must consider the long-term social and economic effects of ADD/ADHD on maternal workforce participation when considering costs and outcomes.

Too Busy to Eat with the Kids? Parental Work and Children's Eating

AbstractParents influence their children's eating behavior by providing access to certain types of food, creating enjoyable mealtimes and associations with food, and by role modeling. In this study we investigate the association between parental employment and parental time spent eating with their children. Using data from the 2001/02 German Time Budget Survey, we explore associations between time spent eating with children and labor force participation in Germany. We find that parental labor force participation is negatively associated with time spent eating with children. Each additional hour of work per day by the mother is associated with a 2.4 minute decrease in the amount of time the mother spends eating with her children. For paternal hours of work, we find that the more time a father spends working, the less time the child spends eating with the father or with both parents. Overall, we find evidence of mother inter‐gender time substitution and some amount of time/food away from home substitution. Understanding how parents allocate their time, where they are most likely to eat, and what drives these decisions is an important endeavor since parents play a critical role in shaping and reinforcing their children's eating practices.

Policy Awareness, Financial Hardship, and Work Impact

Individuals with disabilities often report difficulty interacting with health care professionals. Addressing this challenge requires greater understanding of factors that exacerbate the odds of negative interactions between health care providers and patients with disabilities. Drawing on the qualitative research describing the features of such incidents, we use logistic regression to explore two dimensions of this dynamic: negative experiences with health care providers (e.g., doctors, specialists) and negative experiences with health insurance carriers (e.g., for profit or non-profit health insurance organizations). Using a non-probability sample of American families who have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we find that negative experiences with health care providers are associated with the family’s income level, as well as changes in parental labor force participation. The odds of a negative interaction with the insurance carrier are intensified when the family experiences financial difficulties and when they have a negative experience with the health care provider. Finally, families who are aware of laws and policies regarding ASD also report increased odds of negative experiences with their insurance carrier but not their health care provider. Policy implications of our findings are discussed.

Implications of Childhood Autism for Parental Employment and Earnings

To examine changes in parental labor force participation, hours of work, and annual earnings associated with childhood autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We used the 2002-2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to examine parental labor market outcomes of children with ASD relative to children with another health limitation and children without health limitations. A logit model was used to estimate parental labor force participation. A tobit model was used to estimate parental hours of work and earnings. On average, mothers of children with ASD earn 35% ($7189) less than the mothers of children with another health limitation and 56% ($14 755) less than the mothers of children with no health limitation. They are 6% less likely to be employed and work 7 hours less per week, on average, than mothers of children with no health limitation. There were no statistically significant differences in fathers' labor market outcomes across 3 groups. On average, children with ASD are 9% less likely to have both parents working. Family earnings of children with ASD are 21% ($10 416) less than those of children with another health limitation and 28% ($17 763) less than those of children with no health limitation. Family weekly hours of work are an average of 5 hours less than those of children with no health limitation. Families of children with ASD face significant economic burden. Given the substantial health care expenses associated with ASD, the economic impact of having lower income in addition to these expenses is substantial. It is essential to design universal health care and workplace policies that recognize the full impact of autism.

Care or Cash? The Effect of Child Care Subsidies on Student Performance

Given the wide use of childcare subsidies across countries, it is surprising how little we know about the effect of these subsidies on children’s longer run outcomes. Using a sharp discontinuity in the price of childcare in Norway, we are able to isolate the effects of childcare subsidies on both parental and student outcomes. We find very small and statistically insignificant effects of childcare subsidies on childcare utilization and parental labor force participation. Despite this, we find significant positive effect of the subsidies on children’s academic performance in junior high school, suggesting the positive shock to disposable income provided by the subsidies may be helping to improve children’s scholastic aptitude.

Care or Cash? The Effect of Child Care Subsidies on Student Performance

Given the wide use of childcare subsidies across countries, it is surprising how little we know about the effect of these subsidies on children's longer run outcomes. Using a sharp discontinuity in the price of childcare in Norway, we are able to isolate the effects of childcare subsidies on both parental and student outcomes. We find very small and statistically insignificant effects of childcare subsidies on childcare utilization and parental labor force participation. Despite this, we find significant positive effect of the subsidies on children's academic performance in junior high school, suggesting the positive shock to disposable income provided by the subsidies may be helping to improve children's scholastic aptitude.

Child health status and parental employment.

To understand the relationship between several measures of child health status and the employment of parents. A cross-sectional study using 1994 National Health Interview Survey on Disability data. A nationally representative sample of children and their parents. Maternal and paternal employment (measured separately). We use a series of logistic regression models with maternal and paternal employment as the dependent variables and the health status of the child with the poorest health status in the family as the primary independent variable. Models additionally include sociodemographic correlates of employment. Having a child with poor health status, as measured by general reported health, hospitalizations, activity limitations, and chronic condition or disability status, is associated with reduced employment of mothers and fathers. For example, the odds ratios of being employed for having a child with an activity limitation are 0.75 for mothers (95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.85) and 0.66 for fathers (95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.82). Having a child with poor health status is associated with reduced maternal and paternal employment. Further studies are needed to determine whether poor child health status causes reductions in parental labor force participation. If such a causal relationship exists, it has important implications for social policy, employment policy, and clinical anticipatory guidance.

Child Poverty in Sweden and the United States: The Effect of Social Transfers and Parental Labor Force Participation

The authors compare the incidence and some of the causes of child poverty in Sweden and the United States in selected years using data from the Luxembourg Income Study. The U.S. sample is restricted to white non-hispanic children to present the most favorable comparison with Sweden's more homogeneous population. When parents' labor force participation and demographic characteristics are taken into account, the proportion of children in families whose income prior to social transfers and taxes was below the poverty line (defined as 40% of median disposable income adjusted for family size) is very similar in the two countries. Because all poor children in Sweden received transfers and many in the United States did not, however, and because transfers were more generous in Sweden, a much lower percentage of children in Sweden than in the United States were poor after social transfers and taxes, regardless of parents' work effort or other characteristics.

Child Poverty in Sweden and the United States: The Effect of Social Transfers and Parental Labor Force Participation

Child Poverty in Sweden and the United States: The Effect of Social Transfers and Parental Labor Force Participation