The Impact of Early Childhood Care and Education on Maternal Time Use in Egypt

Women spend a disproportionate amount of time in unpaid care work compared to men. There are particularly large gender disparities in care work in countries in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Egypt. This paper explores how policies might help shift care work into the market, specifically through the education system. The research examines the impact of early childhood care and education (ECCE) on mother's time use. The paper uses the school age cutoff (in a regression discontinuity design framework) for enrollment in primary school to assess the impact of children starting primary school on mother's time use. Primary school enrollment does not significantly change the time mothers spend in care work or employment. There is some evidence that children's primary school enrollment shifts when and possibly what types of care work mothers engage in. Policies increasing access to ECCE are not guaranteed to shift care work or employment for mothers.