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The Impact of Introducing Formal Childcare Services on Labour Force Participation in Inuit Nunangat

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Abstract

We study the labour force impact of introducing formal childcare services to 34 Inuit communities in Canada's North. We use geographic variation in the timing and intensity of the introduction of childcare services in the late 1990s and early 2000s to estimate the impact of increased access to childcare. We combine the 1996, 2001, and 2006 long-form census files with data on the number of childcare spaces in each of the 34 communities over time. We find that a one standard deviation increase in the number of childcare spaces per 100 children increases labour force participation in single-adult households by 3.6 percent. We find no impact in households with more than one adult present. We suggest plausible explanations for these findings and avenues for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Donn Feir & Jasmin Thomas, 2017. "The Impact of Introducing Formal Childcare Services on Labour Force Participation in Inuit Nunangat," Department Discussion Papers 1702, Department of Economics, University of Victoria.
    • Handle: RePEc:vic:vicddp:1702
    Note: ISSN 1914-2838
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inuit; childcare; labour force participation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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