Impact of Maternal Employment on Children

Rachel DunifonCornell University

Goal of Talk• Present research on how and why maternal

employment impacts children• Discuss implications for communities and

public policy• Goal is not to ask whether maternal

employment is good or bad for kids, but to identify areas for policies and programs

Why Focus on Mothers?• 41% of children born outside of marriage• Mothers spend more time on child care and

housework than dads– Even in dual-career households (Bianchi, Milkie, Sayer &

Robinson, 2000)

• Husbands do not pick up the slack at home when their wives work (Cawley and Liu, 2012)

Maternal Employment• Maternal employment has risen sharply in

recent decades– Today 70% of all mothers are in the labor force

(http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm)

Trends in Maternal Employmenthttp://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/women-in-the-labor-force-a-databook-2014.pdf

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With chi-dren under age 18

Why has maternal employment increased?

• Necessity– Single motherhood– Welfare reform – Economic climate– 40% of households with children have mothers who

are either the sole or primary breadwinner (Pew Research

Center, 2013) • Choice– Psychological and social benefits of working

Maternal Employment Conditions

• Work hours• 70% of employed mothers work 35 hours per

week or more• Irregular hours• Rotating, lack of control

• Long commutes

Maternal Employment Conditions• Job churn• Median length on job in study of single mothers

was 7 months• Nonstandard work• 12% of mothers work nonstandard schedules• More likely among less educated

Maternal Employment

• Hours• Nonstandard• Commute• Stability

Time• Quantity• Quality

Money

Child Well-Being

Evidence on Money• Strong evidence that poverty is harmful for

children– Linked particularly to cognitive outcomes (Brooks-Gunn and

Duncan, 1997)

– Early, persistent and deep poverty most harmful (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997)

• If maternal employment reduces poverty, children can benefit

Evidence on Time Use• Quantity of mothers’ of time– Directly related to work hours– Employed mothers spend less time with children,

but not much• Employed moms protect time with children (at the cost

of housework, sleep, leisure)

Quality of Mothers’ Time• Maternal employment could be linked to

parental stress, direction unclear– Depends on work conditions– 40% of working moms “always” feel rushed and

56% find it difficult to balance work and family (Pew Research Center, 2012)

– Work can be rewarding, enhancing• Parental stress is associated with parent-child

interactions (McLoyd et al., 1994; Conger et al., 1994)

Quality of Children’s Time• High quality child care can benefit children

(NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1997; Coley, Li-Grining, and Chase-Lansdale, 2006)

• Lower quality care, or lack of care, can be harmful

• The impact of maternal employment on children may depend on where children spend time while mothers are working– Related to availability, quality of care

The Policy Context• U.S. is unique in providing very little support

to working families (Waldfogel and McLanahan, 2011)

– The only advanced country without paid parental leave

– No universal access to preschool

Maternity Leave (http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2013/02/17/opinion/17coontz2-map.html)

Maternal Employment and Children

• Maternal employment benefits less advantaged children’s school performance and behavior problems– Especially when income supports available

(Gennetian and Mill, 2002)

–When the job is stable and interesting (Johnson, Kalil, and Dunifon, 2012)

Maternal Employment and Children

• Maternal employment linked to increases in child weight– Not clear why• Eating behaviors, physical activity, TV time• Sleep may be key factor

Maternal Employment and Children

• Maternal employment in the very earliest years or months linked to worse cognitive and behavioral outcomes (Brooks-Gunn, Han and Waldfogel, 2002; Ruhm, 2008)

– These links strongest for more advantaged mothers (Ruhm, 2008)

– Effect sizes not huge

Maternal Employment and Children

• Work intensity matters– Part-time work may be beneficial• 30% of moms work part-time, but 62% would

like to (Pew Research Center, 2012)

Maternal Employment and Children• Work conditions matter– Night shift work, commute times, irregular work

predict worse child outcomes

Policy Solutions• Child care• Paid sick leave– San Francisco, New York City, many other cities– Reduces job churn especially among mothers (Hill,

2014)

• Paid parental leave– Allows investment in children in earliest years– Avoids tradeoff between time and money

Parental Leave• The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (12 weeks of

unpaid leave)– Only 20% of new mothers eligible

• In 2004 California became the first state to implement paid family leave (6 weeks)– Rhode Island 2014, New Jersey 2009

• New law—federal employees have 6 weeks of paid parental leave

Parental Leave• Obama State of the Union Proposal:– 6 weeks paid leave– Currently only 11% of U.S. workers have access to

paid family leave– Access is particularly low among minority and less

skilled workers

Economic Benefits of Parental Leave• California’s paid family leave doubled the use of

maternity leave, increased the likelihood of returning to work, increased work hours, and increased income (Rossin-Slater, Ruhm and Waldfogel, 2015)

• In New Jersey, women who took the leave less likely to receive public assistance in the year after birth

• In California, 87% of companies say the policy has not increased costs (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/upshot)

Other Benefits of Parental Leave• Parental leave associated with increases in

breastfeeding, reduced child mortality, and improved short- and long-term child outcomes (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/leave_report_final.pdf)

Conclusion• The vast majority of mothers work and will continue

to do so• Working has many benefits, but also can conflict with

family life• Particular concerns– Child health– Those working nonstandard jobs, service jobs, or with long

commutes – Maternal employment in the earliest years

Conclusion• Policies such as parental leave benefit families• The U.S. lags behind other countries in family

policy• Suggests a need for community and policy

supports for working families

Thank you!