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The Effects of Parenthood on Workforce Participation and Income for Men and Women

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  • Sheree Gibb
  • David Fergusson

  • L. Horwood
  • Joseph Boden

Abstract

This paper examined the effects of parenthood on workforce participation for men and women in the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 30-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals born in New Zealand in 1977. The findings suggested that the effects of parenthood on workforce participation were different for men and women. For women, parenthood was associated with decreasing participation in paid employment and fewer hours worked. For men, however, parenthood was not associated with decreased workforce participation and in some cases was associated with increased working hours. These findings had consequences for personal income, with 83–90 % of the total gender income gap in this cohort being attributed to gender differences in the effects of parenthood. These findings suggest that parenthood has markedly different effects on workforce participation and income for men and women. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Sheree Gibb & David Fergusson & L. Horwood & Joseph Boden, 2014. "The Effects of Parenthood on Workforce Participation and Income for Men and Women," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 14-26, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:35:y:2014:i:1:p:14-26
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-013-9353-4
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    Cited by:

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    3. Jessica Nisén & Maarten J. Bijlsma & Pekka Martikainen & Ben Wilson & Mikko Myrskylä, 2019. "The gendered impacts of delayed parenthood on educational and labor market outcomes: a dynamic analysis of population-level effects over young adulthood," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-017, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    4. Berthelon, Matías & Contreras, Dante & Kruger, Diana & Palma, María Isidora, 2025. "Early maternity and paternity. Effects on educational trajectories," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Daphne Pedersen, 2015. "Work Characteristics and the Preventive Health Behaviors and Subjective Health of Married Parents with Preschool Age Children," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 48-63, March.
    6. Jang, Hayun & Kim, Jinho, 2025. "Adverse childhood experiences and adult employment outcomes: Unpacking mechanisms across the life course," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    7. Hosseini Shoabjareh, Azamsadat & Ghasri, Milad, 2025. "The potential impact of childbirth on women's commute time and labour market participation: a cohort analysis," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. Juho Härkönen & Marika Jalovaara & Eevi Lappalainen & Anneli Miettinen, 2023. "Double Disadvantage in a Nordic Welfare State: A Demographic Analysis of the Single-Parent Employment Gap in Finland, 1987–2018," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-27, December.
    9. Helen Peterson & Kristina Engwall, 2016. "Missing Out on the Parenthood Bonus? Voluntarily Childless in a “Child-friendly” Society," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 540-552, December.
    10. P. Wesley Routon, 2018. "The Probability of Teenage Parenthood: Parental Predictions and Their Accuracy," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 647-661, December.
    11. Charlotte H. Feldhoff, 2021. "The Child Penalty: Implications of Parenthood on Labour Market Outcomes for Men and Women in Germany," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1120, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    12. Derek T. Tharp & Elizabeth J. Parks-Stamm & Meghaan Lurtz & Michael Kitces, 2022. "Exploring Gender Differences in Marital and Parental Income Premiums Among Financial Advisors," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 15-35, March.

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