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Motherhood and flexible jobs: Evidence from Latin American countries

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  • Berniell, Inés
  • Berniell, Lucila
  • de la Mata, Dolores
  • Edo, María
  • Marchionni, Mariana

Abstract

We study the causal effect of motherhood on labour market outcomes in Latin America by adopting an event study approach around the birth of the first child based on panel data from national household surveys for Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Our main contributions are: (i) providing new and comparable evidence on the effects of motherhood on labour outcomes in developing countries; (ii) exploring the possible mechanisms driving these outcomes; (iii) discussing the potential links between these outcomes and the prevailing gender norms and family policies in the region. We find that motherhood reduces women’s labour supply in the extensive and intensive margins and influences female occupational structure towards flexible occupations—part-time work, self-employment, and informal jobs—needed for family–work balance. Furthermore, countries with more conservative gender norms and less generous family policies are associated with larger differences between mothers’ and non-mothers’ labour market outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Berniell, Inés & Berniell, Lucila & de la Mata, Dolores & Edo, María & Marchionni, Mariana, 2021. "Motherhood and flexible jobs: Evidence from Latin American countries," Research Department working papers 1698, CAF Development Bank Of Latinamerica.
    • Handle: RePEc:dbl:dblwop:1698
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    Cited by:

    1. Estefanía Galván & Cecilia García‐Peñalosa, 2025. "Interactions among gender norms: Evidence from US couples," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 72(1), February.
    2. Juan Pedro Eberhard & Javier Fernandez & Catalina Lauer, 2023. "Effects of maternity on labor outcomes and employment quality for women in Chile," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 2232965-223, December.
    3. Nicolás Francisco Abbate, 2021. "Participación Laboral Femenina y Pre-escolaridad: el impacto de la obligatoriedad de la Sala de 4 en el Trabajo de las Madres," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4430, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    4. Ana María Iregui-Bohórquez & María Teresa Ramírez-Giraldo & Sara Isabel Caicedo-Silva, 2024. "Las mujeres en la banca central: El caso del Banco de la República de Colombia, 1923-2023," Cuadernos de Historia Económica 62, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    5. Martina Querejeta, 2022. "Impact of female peer composition on gender norm perceptions and skills formation in secondary school," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-28, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Harry Moroz & Mariana Viollaz, 2024. "The Future of Work in Central America and the Dominican Republic," World Bank Publications - Reports 42043, The World Bank Group.
    7. Marchionni, Mariana & Pedrazzi, Julián, 2025. "The last hurdle? Unyielding motherhood effects in the context of declining gender inequality in Latin America," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    8. Serio Monserrat, 2021. "Mujeres emprendedoras en América Latina: Una mirada sobre la influencia del nivel educativo en la probabilidad de emprender," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4522, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    9. Estefanía Galván & Cecilia Parada & Martina Querejeta & Soledad Salvador, 2024. "Gender Gaps and Family Leaves in Latin America," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 387-414, June.
    10. Fajardo-Gonzalez, Johanna & Hasanbasri, Ardina & Rios-Avila, Fernando, 2024. "Is There a Gendered Parenthood Penalty in Indonesian Labor Markets?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10973, The World Bank.
    11. Iregui-Bohórquez, Ana María & Melo-Becerra, Ligia Alba & Ramírez-Giraldo, María Teresa & Tribín-Uribe, Ana María & Zárate-Solano, Héctor M., 2024. "Unraveling the factors behind women’s empowerment in the labor market in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    12. Díaz Escobar, Ana María & Salas Bahamón, Luz Magdalena & Piras, Claudia & Suaya, Agustina, 2024. "Gender Disparities in Valuing Remote and Hybrid Work in Latin America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13439, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Banerjee, Souvik & Mukhopadhyay, Sankar & Jaiswal, Preeti, 2025. "Motherhood and Labour Market Outcomes: Penalty or Premium?," IZA Discussion Papers 18246, IZA Network @ LISER.
    14. Canavire Bacarreza, Gustavo J. & Yanez, Gunnar Poppe, 2024. "Can Children's Education Enhance Formal Female Labor Force Participation?," IZA Discussion Papers 17429, IZA Network @ LISER.
    15. Jhon James Mora & Diana Yaneth Herrera Duque & Juan Tomas Sayago & Andres Cendales, 2025. "Maternity Leave Reform and Women’s Labor Outcomes in Colombia: A Synthetic Control Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, October.
    16. Inés Berniell & Leonardo Gasparini & Mariana Marchionni & Mariana Viollaz, 2023. "The role of children and work-from-home in gender labor market asymmetries: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1191-1214, December.

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