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Immigrant Labor, Child-Care Services, and the Work-Fertility Trade-Off in the United States

Author

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  • Furtado, Delia

    (University of Connecticut)

  • Hock, Heinrich

    (Mathematica Policy Research)

Abstract

The negative correlation between female employment and fertility in industrialized nations has weakened since the 1960s, particularly in the United States. We suggest that the continuing influx of low-skilled immigrants has led to a substantial reduction in the trade-off between work and childrearing facing American women. The evidence we present indicates that low-skilled immigration has driven down wages in the US child-care sector. More affordable child-care has, in turn, increased the fertility of college graduate native females. Although childbearing is generally associated with temporary exit from the labor force, immigrant-led declines in the price of child-care has reduced the extent of role incompatibility between fertility and work.

Suggested Citation

  • Furtado, Delia & Hock, Heinrich, 2008. "Immigrant Labor, Child-Care Services, and the Work-Fertility Trade-Off in the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 3506, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3506
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    3. Liat Raz-Yurovich, 2016. "Outsourcing of Housework and the Transition to a Second Birth in Germany," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(3), pages 401-417, June.
    4. Farré Lidia & González Libertad & Ortega Francesc, 2011. "Immigration, Family Responsibilities and the Labor Supply of Skilled Native Women," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-48, June.
    5. Ali, Umair & Brown, Jessica H. & Herbst, Chris M., 2022. "Secure Communities as Immigration Enforcement: How Secure Is the Child Care Market?," IZA Discussion Papers 15821, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Mörk, Eva & Sjögren, Anna & Svalelryd, Helena, 2008. "Cheaper child care, more children," Working Paper Series 2008:29, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    7. Ingco, Katrina Nicole & Pilitro, Ver Lyon Yojie, 2016. "Stuck at a Crossroad: A Microeconometric Analysis of Fertility and Married Female Labor Force Supply in the Philippines," MPRA Paper 73351, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Sara de la Rica, 2008. "Complements or Substitutes? Immigrant and Native Task Specialization in Spain," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 0816, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    9. Eva Mörk & Anna Sjögren & Helena Svaleryd, 2013. "Childcare costs and the demand for children—evidence from a nationwide reform," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(1), pages 33-65, January.
    10. Mörk, Eva & Sjögren, Anna & Svalelryd, Helena, 2008. "Cheaper child care, more children," Working Paper Series 2008:29, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    11. Barone, Guglielmo & Mocetti, Sauro, 2011. "With a little help from abroad: The effect of low-skilled immigration on the female labour supply," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 664-675, October.
    12. Liat Raz-Yurovich, 2012. "Application of the transaction cost approach to households – the demographics of households’ ‘make or buy’ decisions," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2012-025, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    13. Marina Della Giusta & Nigar Hashimzade, 2012. "Who Cares? Modelling the Care Drain," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2012-04, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    14. HAGIWARA Risa & LIU Yang, 2023. "Work-life Conflicts of Native and Immigrant Women in Japan," Discussion papers 23056, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    immigration; labor supply; fertility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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