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Early Child Care, Maternal Labor Supply, and Gender Equality: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Author

Listed:
  • Hermes, Henning
  • Krauss, Marina
  • Lergetporer, Philipp
  • Peter, Frauke
  • Wiederhold, Simon

Abstract

We provide experimental evidence that enabling access to universal early child care increases maternal labor supply and promotes gender equality among families with lower socioeconomic status (SES). Our intervention offers information and customized help with child care applications, leading to a boost in child care enrollment among lower-SES families. 18 months after the intervention, we find substantial increases in maternal full-time employment (+160%), maternal earnings (+22%), and household income (+10%). Intriguingly, the positive employment effects are not only driven by extended hours at child care centers, but also by an increase in care hours by fathers. Gender equality also benefits more broadly from better access to child care: The treatment improves a gender equality index that combines information on intra-household division of working hours, care hours, and earnings by 40% of a standard deviation, with significant increases in each dimension. For higher-SES families, we consistently observe negligible, insignificant treatment effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Hermes, Henning & Krauss, Marina & Lergetporer, Philipp & Peter, Frauke & Wiederhold, Simon, 2023. "Early Child Care, Maternal Labor Supply, and Gender Equality: A Randomized Controlled Trial," CEPR Discussion Papers 17794, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:17794
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Katrin Huber & Geske Rolvering, 2023. "Public child care and mothers’ career trajectories," Working Papers 228, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    3. Marina Krauß & Niklas Rot, 2024. "Early Childcare Expansion and Maternal Health," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1208, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    4. Henning Hermes & Philipp Lergetporer & Fabian Mierisch & Frauke Peter & Simon Wiederhold, 2023. "Discrimination on the Child Care Market: A Nationwide Field Experiment," Working Papers 225, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    5. Hermes, Henning & Lergetporer, Philipp & Peter, Frauke & Wiederhold, Simon, 2021. "Behavioral Barriers and the Socioeconomic Gap in Child Care Enrollment," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 16/2021, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    6. Kenza Elass & Cecilia García-Peñalosa & Christian Schluter & Cecilia Garcia-Peñalosa, 2024. "Gender Gaps in the Urban Wage Premium," CESifo Working Paper Series 11374, CESifo.
    7. Henning Hermesifo & Philipp Lergetporer & Frauke Peter & Simon Wiederhold, 2025. "Application Barriers and the Socioeconomic Gap in Child Care Enrollment," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 23(3), pages 1133-1172.
    8. Katrin Huber & Geske Rolvering, 2023. "Public child care and mothers’ career trajectories," CEPA Discussion Papers 64, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.

    More about this item

    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
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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