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Maternal labor supply and children's emotional well-being

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2024

M. Jofre-Bonet Open the ORCID record for M. Jofre-Bonet [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Rossello-Roig Open the ORCID record for M. Rossello-Roig [Opens in a new window]  and
V. Serra-Sastre Open the ORCID record for V. Serra-Sastre [Opens in a new window]
M. Jofre-Bonet
Affiliation:
Office of Health Economics, London, UK Department of Economics, City, University of London, London, UK
M. Rossello-Roig*
Affiliation:
National Health Service England, London, UK Department of Political Science, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugi, Italy
V. Serra-Sastre
Affiliation:
Office of Health Economics, London, UK Department of Economics, City, University of London, London, UK Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
*
Corresponding author: M. Rossello-Roig; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study explores the relationship between maternal working hours and a child's emotional well-being using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Child well-being is assessed through self-reported happiness and a well-being index that includes concerns, temperament, bullying, and behaviour. Results show a positive association between maternal employment and child well-being, supported by factor analysis combining child, mother, and teacher reports. The association remains consistent across income levels and is unaffected by commuting time or cohabitation status. These findings highlight the importance of maternal employment and contextual factors in shaping child well-being.

Keywords

child's well-beingcommuting timehappinessmaternal labor supply

JEL classification

I31: General Welfare, Well-Being J22: Time Allocation and Labor Supply
Type
Research Paper
Information
Journal of Demographic Economics , First View , pp. 1 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with Université catholique de Louvain

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