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Child Sleep and Maternal Labour Market Outcomes
[Discussion Paper Series]

Author

Listed:
  • Joan Costa-Font

    (LSE - LSE Health and Social Care - LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Sarah Flèche

    (AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEP - LSE - Centre for Economic Performance - LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science)

Abstract

We show that sleep deprivation exerts strong negative effects on mothers' labour market performance. To isolate exogenous variations in maternal sleep, we exploit unique variations in child sleep disruption using a UK panel dataset that follows mother-child pairs through time. We find that sleeping one hour less per night on average significantly decreases maternal labour force participation, the number of hours worked, and household income. We identify one mechanism driving the effects, namely the influence of maternal sleep on selection into full-time versus part-time work. Increased schedule flexibility for mothers with sufficient tenure mitigates the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan Costa-Font & Sarah Flèche, 2018. "Child Sleep and Maternal Labour Market Outcomes [Discussion Paper Series]," Working Papers halshs-03204629, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-03204629
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-03204629v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Chris Sampson’s journal round-up for 6th January 2020
      by Chris Sampson in The Academic Health Economists' Blog on 2020-01-06 12:00:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Joan Costa‐Font & Sarah Fleche & Ricardo Pagan, 2024. "The welfare effects of time reallocation: evidence from Daylight Saving Time," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(362), pages 547-568, April.
    2. Costa-Font, Joan & Fleche, Sarah & Pagan, Ricardo, 2024. "The labour market returns to sleep," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Berniell, Inés & Bietenbeck, Jan, 2020. "The effect of working hours on health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    4. Jeremy Clark & David L. Dickinson, 2017. "The Impact of Sleep Restriction on Contributions and Punishment: First Evidence," Working Papers 17-04, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    5. Huebener, Mathias & Odermatt, Reto, 2025. "The Wished-For Children: Do Mothers Carry the Burden While Fathers Reap the Joy?," IZA Discussion Papers 18039, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Nguyen, Ha Trong & Zubrick, Stephen R. & Mitrou, Francis, 2024. "The effects of sleep duration on child health and development," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 35-51.
    7. Dou, Jialu & Gihleb, Rania & Giuntella, Osea & Lonsky, Jakub, 2025. "Breaking the Early Bell: Lessons from the First Statewide Mandate on School Start Times," IZA Discussion Papers 17930, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Joan Costa-Font, 2022. "Incentivizing sleep?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 502-502, November.
    9. Jeremy Clark & David L Dickinson, 2020. "The effect of sleep on public good contributions and punishment: Experimental evidence," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-26, October.
    10. Bertoni, Marco & Meli, Francesca & Rocco, Lorenzo, 2025. "Rest Assured. The Effects of Sleep on Labor Productivity," IZA Discussion Papers 17618, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Inés Berniell & Jan Bietenbeck, 2019. "The E↵ect of Working Hours on Health," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4210, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    12. Flynn, James & Meyers-Richter, Noah & Nencka, Peter, 2025. "Soccer’s Record on the Road: The Effect of Late-Night Sporting Events on Fatal Car Crashes," IZA Discussion Papers 18050, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy

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