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Delaying the Bell: The Effects of Longer School Days on Adolescent Motherhood in Chile

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  • Kruger, Diana

    (Universidad Adolfo Ibañez)

  • Berthelon, Matias

    (Universidad Adolfo Ibañez)

Abstract

We analyze the effect of a Chilean school reform that lengthened the school day from half to full-day shifts on the likelihood that adolescent girls become mothers. By increasing the number of hours spent in school, the reform curtails opportunities to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Using Chile's socio-economic household surveys and administrative data from the Ministry of Education from 1990–2006, we exploit the exogenous time and regional variation in the implementation of the reform to identify the effects of increased education and adult supervision on the likelihood that adolescent girls become mothers. We find that access to full-day schools reduces the probability of becoming an adolescent mother among poor families and in urban areas: an increase in full-day municipal enrollment of 20% reduces the likelihood of teen motherhood by 5%.

Suggested Citation

  • Kruger, Diana & Berthelon, Matias, 2009. "Delaying the Bell: The Effects of Longer School Days on Adolescent Motherhood in Chile," IZA Discussion Papers 4553, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4553
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    Cited by:

    1. Bonilla-Mejía, Leonardo, 2014. "Doble jornada escolar y calidad de la educación en Colombia," Chapters, in: Sánchez Jabba, Andrés & Otero Cortés, Andrea (ed.), Educación y desarrollo regional en Colombia, chapter 1, pages 3-56, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    2. Kozhaya, Mireille & Martinez Flores, Fernanda, 2020. "Schooling and child labor: Evidence from Mexico's full-time school program," Ruhr Economic Papers 851, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. Ana Reynoso & Martín A. Rossi, 2019. "Teenage Risky Behavior And Parental Supervision: The Unintended Consequences Of Multiple Shifts School Systems," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(2), pages 774-791, April.
    4. Felipe Barrera-Osorio & Dario Maldonado & Catherine Rodríguez, 2012. "Calidad de la educación básica y media en Colombia: diagnóstico y propuestas," Documentos de Trabajo 10078, Universidad del Rosario.
    5. Ian Walker & Yu Zhu, 2009. "The Causal Effect of Teen Motherhood on Worklessness," Studies in Economics 0917, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    6. Anna Sibilla Francesca DE PAOLI, 2010. "The effect of schooling on fertility, labor market participation and children’s outcomes, evidence from Ecuador," Departmental Working Papers 2010-30, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    7. Simón Borrero Escobar, 2017. "Longer school days, less teenage mothers: Evidence from Colombia," Documentos CEDE 15817, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    8. Francisco Cabrera-Herández & María Padilla-Romo, 2021. "Women as Caregivers: Full-time Schools and Grandmothers’ Labor Supply," Working Papers 2021-03, University of Tennessee, Department of Economics.
    9. María Padilla-Romo & Francisco Cabrera-Hernández, 2018. "The Effect of Children's Time in School on Mothers' Labor Supply: Evidence from Mexico's Full-Time Schools Program," Working Papers 2018-04, University of Tennessee, Department of Economics.
    10. Padilla-Romo, María & Peluffo, Cecilia & Viollaz, Mariana, 2022. "Parents' Effective Time Endowment and Divorce: Evidence from Extended School Days," IZA Discussion Papers 15304, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    adolescent motherhood; adolescent pregnancy; school day reform; Chile;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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