Working Paper: NBER ID: w13609
Authors: John Cawley; Feng Liu
Abstract: Recent research has found that maternal employment is associated with worse child performance on tests of cognitive ability. This paper explores mechanisms for that correlation. We estimate models of instrumental variables using a unique dataset, the American Time Use Survey, that measure the effect of maternal employment on the mother's allocation of time to activities related to child cognitive development. We find that employed women spend significantly less time reading to their children, helping with homework, and in educational activities in general. We find no evidence that these decreases in time are offset by increases in time by husbands and partners. These findings offer plausible mechanisms for the association of maternal employment with child cognitive development.
Keywords: maternal employment; child cognitive development; American Time Use Survey
JEL Codes: D1; I2; J22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Maternal employment (J22) | Lower probability of engaging in activities that foster child cognitive development (I24) |
| Maternal employment (J22) | Decrease in time allocated to child-related educational activities (I21) |
| Maternal employment (J22) | No significant increase in paternal involvement (J12) |
| Decrease in time allocated to child-related educational activities (I21) | Negative association with child cognitive outcomes (I24) |