IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jjieco/v43y2017icp1-18.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Childcare availability and fertility: Evidence from municipalities in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Fukai, Taiyo

Abstract

In this paper, we estimated the effect of childcare availability on fertility using Japanese municipal-level Census and Vital Statistics data from 2000 to 2010, carefully handling several potential sources of bias. We found that an increase in childcare availability in Japan from 2000 to 2010 led to a small but significant increase in the fertility rate of women aged 25–39 living in regions where the propensity for women to work is high, but had no significant effect in other regions. Our results demonstrate the importance that government pay attention to regional heterogeneity when formulating childcare policy and also suggest that a combination of better access to childcare, together with other pro-family measures, is needed to support Japanese women in the early-career demands of balancing work and family.

Suggested Citation

  • Fukai, Taiyo, 2017. "Childcare availability and fertility: Evidence from municipalities in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1-18.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jjieco:v:43:y:2017:i:c:p:1-18
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jjie.2016.11.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889158316300375
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jjie.2016.11.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Bauernschuster & Timo Hener & Helmut Rainer, 2016. "Children Of A (Policy) Revolution: The Introduction Of Universal Child Care And Its Effect On Fertility," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 975-1005, August.
    2. Ronald R. Rindfuss & David K. Guilkey & S. Philip Morgan & ØYstein Kravdal, 2010. "Child‐Care Availability and Fertility in Norway," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 36(4), pages 725-748, December.
    3. Abe, Yukiko, 2013. "Regional variations in labor force behavior of women in Japan," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 112-124.
    4. Daniela Del Boca, 2002. "The effect of child care and part time opportunities on participation and fertility decisions in Italy," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 15(3), pages 549-573.
    5. Joshua R. Goldstein & Tomáš Sobotka & Aiva Jasilioniene, 2009. "The End of “Lowest‐Low” Fertility?," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 35(4), pages 663-699, December.
    6. Maria Donovan Fitzpatrick, 2010. "Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Prekindergarten," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 28(1), pages 51-85, January.
    7. Bauernschuster, Stefan & Schlotter, Martin, 2015. "Public child care and mothers' labor supply—Evidence from two quasi-experiments," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-16.
    8. Ronald Rindfuss & David Guilkey & S. Morgan & Øystein Kravdal & Karen Guzzo, 2007. "Child care availability and first-birth timing in Norway," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(2), pages 345-372, May.
    9. Nakajima, Ryo & Tanaka, Ryuichi, 2014. "Estimating the effects of pronatal policies on residential choice and fertility," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 179-200.
    10. Havnes, Tarjei & Mogstad, Magne, 2011. "Money for nothing? Universal child care and maternal employment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(11), pages 1455-1465.
    11. Marianne Bertrand & Esther Duflo & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "How Much Should We Trust Differences-In-Differences Estimates?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 249-275.
    12. Yukinobu Kitamura & Takeshi Miyazaki, 2011. "Marriage Promotion Policies and Regional Differences in Marriage," Japanese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(1), pages 3-39.
    13. Alexander Bick, 2016. "The Quantitative Role Of Child Care For Female Labor Force Participation And Fertility," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 639-668, June.
    14. Lee, Grace H.Y. & Lee, Sing Ping, 2014. "Childcare availability, fertility and female labor force participation in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 71-85.
    15. Griffen, Andrew S. & Nakamuro, Makiko & Inui, Tomohiko, 2015. "Fertility and maternal labor supply in Japan: Conflicting policy goals?," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 52-72.
    16. Asai, Yukiko & Kambayashi, Ryo & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2015. "Childcare availability, household structure, and maternal employment," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 172-192.
    17. N. Ryder, 1964. "The process of demographic translation," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 1(1), pages 74-82, March.
    18. Yanfei Zhou & Akiko Oishi, 2005. "Underlying Demand for Licensed Childcare Services in Urban Japan," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 103-119, March.
    19. Stefan Bauernschuster & Timo Hener & Helmut Rainer, 2016. "Children Of A (Policy) Revolution: The Introduction Of Universal Child Care And Its Effect On Fertility," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 975-1005, August.
    20. Wong, Rebeca & Levine, Ruth E, 1992. "The Effect of Household Structure on Women's Economic Activity and Fertility: Evidence from Recent Mothers in Urban Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 41(1), pages 89-102, October.
    21. Besley, Timothy & Case, Anne, 2000. "Unnatural Experiments? Estimating the Incidence of Endogenous Policies," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(467), pages 672-694, November.
    22. Joshua R. Goldstein & Tomáš Sobotka & Aiva Jasilioniene, 2009. "The end of 'lowest-low' fertility? (with supplementary materials)," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-029, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    23. Kerry Richter & Chai Podhisita & Aphichat Chamratrithirong & Kusol Soonthorndhada, 1994. "The impact of child care on fertility in urban Thailand," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 31(4), pages 651-662, November.
    24. Karen Mason & Karen Kuhlthau, 1992. "The perceived impact of child care costs on women’s labor supply and fertility," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 29(4), pages 523-543, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mika Akesaka & Nobuyoshi Kikuchi, 2021. "The Effects of Gender-Specific Local Labor Demand on Birth and Later Outcomes," ISER Discussion Paper 1153r, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, revised May 2022.
    2. Mika Akesaka & Nobuyoshi Kikuchi, 2021. "The Effects of Gender-Specific Local Labor Demand on Birth and Later Outcomes," ISER Discussion Paper 1153rr, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, revised Nov 2022.
    3. Zhang, Yongsheng & Yao, Enjian & Zhang, Rui & Xu, Hao, 2019. "Analysis of elderly people's travel behaviours during the morning peak hours in the context of the free bus programme in Beijing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 191-199.
    4. Shinsuke Asakawa, 2020. "Can Child Benefits Shape Parents' Attitudes toward Childrearing in Japan?: Effects of Child Benefit Policy Expansions," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 19-04-Rev.2, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    5. Hirokuni Iiboshi & Daikuke Ozaki & Yui Yoshii, 2023. "Child Care, Time Allocation, and Life Cycle," Papers 2304.11531, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2023.
    6. Maxim Kan, 2023. "Sustained and Universal Fertility Recuperation in Kazakhstan," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-39, December.
    7. 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).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Müller, Kai-Uwe & Wrohlich, Katharina & Sengül, Denise, 2016. "Does subsidized care for toddlers increase maternal labor supply? Evidence from a large-scale expansion of early childcare," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145654, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Reo Takaku, 2019. "The wall for mothers with first graders: availability of afterschool childcare and continuity of maternal labor supply in Japan," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 177-199, March.
    3. Lee, Grace H.Y. & Lee, Sing Ping, 2014. "Childcare availability, fertility and female labor force participation in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 71-85.
    4. Eric Schuss & Mohammed Azaouagh, 2021. "Combining parenthood and work: transmission channels and heterogeneous returns to early public childcare," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 641-676, September.
    5. Müller, Kai-Uwe & Wrohlich, Katharina, 2020. "Does subsidized care for toddlers increase maternal labor supply? Evidence from a large-scale expansion of early childcare," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Asai, Yukiko & Kambayashi, Ryo & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2015. "Childcare availability, household structure, and maternal employment," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 172-192.
    7. Nishitateno, Shuhei & Shikata, Masato, 2017. "Has improved daycare accessibility increased Japan's maternal employment rate? Municipal evidence from 2000–2010," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 67-77.
    8. Zhang, Chi & Managi, Shunsuke, 2021. "Childcare availability and maternal employment: New evidence from Japan," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 83-105.
    9. Eric Schuss & Mohammed Azaouagh, 2023. "The expansion of early childcare and transitions to first and second birth in Germany," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(2), pages 476-507, April.
    10. BOUSSELIN Audrey, 2017. "Childcare, maternal employment and residential location," LISER Working Paper Series 2017-05, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    11. BOUSSELIN Audrey, 2019. "Expanding access to universal childcare: Effects on childcare arrangements and maternal employment," LISER Working Paper Series 2019-11, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    12. Kozhaya, Mireille, 2022. "The double burden: The impact of school closures on labor force participation of mothers," Ruhr Economic Papers 956, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    13. Kunze, Astrid & Liu, Xingfei, 2019. "Universal Childcare for the Youngest and the Maternal Labour Supply," Working Papers 2019-1, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    14. Laura Ravazzini, 2018. "Childcare and maternal part-time employment: a natural experiment using Swiss cantons," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 154(1), pages 1-16, December.
    15. Wang, Qing & Lin, Mengyun, 2019. "Work-family policy and female entrepreneurship: Evidence from China's subsidized child care program," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 256-270.
    16. Yukiko Asai, Ryo Kambayashi, Shintaro Yamaguchi, 2015. "Crowding-Out Effect of Publicly Provided Childcare: Why Maternal Employment Did Not Increase," ISS Discussion Paper Series (series F) f177, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo.
    17. Hao Li, 2020. "The effect of universal pre‐kindergarten policy on female labor force participation—A synthetic control approach," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(2), pages 440-482, October.
    18. Gerhard Glomm & Volker Meier, 2020. "Efficient child care subsidies: any need for cash for care?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 773-793, September.
    19. Stefan Bauernschuster & Anita Fichtl & Timo Hener & Helmut Rainer & Anita Dietrich, 2014. "Policy Reform Children: Do More Nursery Places Lead to More Children?," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 67(10), pages 30-37, May.
    20. Huber, Katrin, 2019. "The role of the career costs of children for the effect of public child care on fertility and maternal employment," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-77-19, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Childcare; Fertility; Maternal employment; Work-life balance; Aging society;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jjieco:v:43:y:2017:i:c:p:1-18. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622903 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.