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Does Biology Drive Child Penalties? Evidence from Biological and Adoptive Families

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  • Landais, Camille
  • Kleven, Henrik
  • Egholt Sogaard, Jakob

Abstract

This paper investigates if the impact of children on the labor market trajectories of women relative to men — child penalties — can be explained by the biological links between mother and child. We estimate child penalties in biological and adoptive families using event studies around the arrival of children and almost forty years of adoption data from Denmark. Long-run child penalties in earnings and its underlying determinants are virtually identical in biological and adoptive families. This implies that biology is not important for child-related gender gaps. Based on additional analyses, we argue that our results speak against the importance of specialization based on comparative advantage more broadly.

Suggested Citation

  • Landais, Camille & Kleven, Henrik & Egholt Sogaard, Jakob, 2020. "Does Biology Drive Child Penalties? Evidence from Biological and Adoptive Families," CEPR Discussion Papers 14704, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:14704
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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