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Primary School Reopenings and Parental Work

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre-Loup Beauregard

    (Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia)

  • Marie Connolly

    (Department of Economics, University of Quebec in Montreal)

  • Catherine Haeck

    (Department of Economics, University of Quebec in Montreal)

  • Timea Laura Molnar

    (Department of Economics and Business, Central European University)

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the geographical pattern of primary school reopenings during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec to estimate the impact of school reopenings on parental employment and work hours. We first use a difference-in-differences approach, in which we compare parents of primary-school children in regions where school reopened in May 2020 to similar parents in regions where schools remained closed. We also use a triple-difference model, in which parents of older, secondary-school children are used as an additional control group. We estimate the impact of school reopenings separately for mothers and fathers, and for single parents and parents living in dual-parent households. We find a positive impact of school reopenings on employment and on actual hours worked. The effects tend to be stronger for single parents: single mothers have experienced a 20 percentage point increase in their employment rate following school reopenings. We also split our sample according to whether the job can be done from home, and find stronger impacts for those whose jobs cannot easily be done from home. Our results suggest that reopening schools allows parents, especially single parents, to maintain their employment link and support themselves.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre-Loup Beauregard & Marie Connolly & Catherine Haeck & Timea Laura Molnar, 2020. "Primary School Reopenings and Parental Work," Working Papers 20-06, Research Group on Human Capital, University of Quebec in Montreal's School of Management.
    • Handle: RePEc:grc:wpaper:20-06
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. David A. Green & Ali Karimirad & Gaëlle Simard-Duplain & Henry E. Siu, 2020. "COVID and the Economic Importance of In-Person K-12 Schooling," NBER Working Papers 28200, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. María del Pilar Toyos, 2022. "Cierre de escuelas en pandemia y brechas de género en Argentina: ¿madres más vulnerables?," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4603, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    3. Titan Alon & Sena Coskun & Matthias Doepke & David Koll & Michèle Tertilt, 2022. "From Mancession to Shecession: Women’s Employment in Regular and Pandemic Recessions," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(1), pages 83-151.
    4. Fukai, Taiyo & Ikeda, Masato & Kawaguchi, Daiji & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2021. "COVID-19 and the Employment Gender Gap," IZA Discussion Papers 14711, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Fukai, Taiyo & Ikeda, Masato & Kawaguchi, Daiji & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2023. "COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Misty Heggeness & Ana Sofía León, 2023. "Parenthood and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Chile," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 075, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    school closures; school reopenings; labour market; employment; work hours; pandemic; Canada;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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