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Maternal labor force participation and differences by education in an urban birth cohort study - 1998-2010

Author

Listed:
  • Natasha Pilkauskas

    (University of Michigan)

  • Jane Waldfogel

    (Columbia University)

  • Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

Background: Maternal labor force participation has increased dramatically over the last 40 years, yet surprisingly little is known about longitudinal patterns of maternal labor force participation in the years after a birth, or how these patterns vary by education. Objective: We document variation by maternal education in mothers’ labor force participation (timing, intensity, non-standard work, multiple job-holding) over the first nine years after the birth of a child. Methods: We use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N~3000) to predict longitudinal labor force participation in a recent longitudinal sample of mothers who gave birth in large US cities between 1998 and 2000. Families were followed until children were age 9, through 2010. Results: Labor force participation gradually increases in the years after birth for mothers with high school or less education, whereas for mothers with some college or more, participation increases between ages 1 and 3 and then remains mostly stable thereafter. Mothers with less than high school education have the highest rates of unemployment (actively seeking work), which remain high compared with all other education groups, whose unemployment declines over time. Compared with all other education groups, mothers with some college have the highest rates of labor force participation, but also high rates of part-time employment, non-standard work, and multiple job-holding. Contribution: Simple conceptualizations of labor force participation do not fully capture the dynamics of labor force attachment for mothers in terms of intensity, timing of entry, and type of work hours, as well as differences by maternal education.

Suggested Citation

  • Natasha Pilkauskas & Jane Waldfogel & Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, 2016. "Maternal labor force participation and differences by education in an urban birth cohort study - 1998-2010," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(14), pages 407-420.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:34:y:2016:i:14
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.34.14
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Coley, Rebekah Levine & Lohman, Brenda J. & Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth & Pittman, Laura D. & Chase-Lansdale, P. Lindsay, 2007. "Maternal functioning, time, and money: The world of work and welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 721-741, June.
    2. Sara Mclanahan, 2004. "Diverging destinies: How children are faring under the second demographic transition," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(4), pages 607-627, November.
    3. Hilary Hoynes & Douglas L. Miller & Jessamyn Schaller, 2012. "Who Suffers during Recessions?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(3), pages 27-48, Summer.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cai, Julie Y. & Wimer, Christopher & Berger, Lawrence & Maury, Matthew, 2023. "Intra-year employment instability and economic well-being among urban households: Mitigating effects of the social safety net," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    2. repec:osf:socarx:vxtdq_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Serge Atherwood & Corey S Sparks, 2019. "Early-career trajectories of young workers in the U.S. in the context of the 2008–09 recession: The effect of labor market entry timing," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-30, March.
    4. Jill E. Yavorsky & Yue Qian & Rebecca Glauber, 2026. "Workplace Productivity: Gender, Parenthood, and Career Consequences in the United States," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 181-201, January.
    5. Afshin Zilanawala, 2021. "Educational gradients in nonstandard work schedules among mothers and fathers in the United Kingdom," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 44(26), pages 609-626.

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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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