IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/pacecr/v19y2014i4p483-501.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Low Birth Weight Child on Maternal Labour Force Participation: Evidence from Taiwan

Author

Listed:
  • Meng-Wen Tsou
  • Jin-Tan Liu
  • Kuang-Hsien Wang

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of having a low birth weight child on maternal labour force participation. We use the instrumental variable technique, the sister fixed-effects model and the propensity score matching method to control for the endogeneity of child health. Using a unique national merged parent–child data set from Taiwan, the within-sister estimates indicate that having a low birth weight child reduces female employment during the first 3 years after the birth, by 1–2 percentage points. Furthermore, the adverse employment effect is found to be particularly strong for those mothers who have an illegitimate child with low birth weight.

Suggested Citation

  • Meng-Wen Tsou & Jin-Tan Liu & Kuang-Hsien Wang, 2014. "Impact of Low Birth Weight Child on Maternal Labour Force Participation: Evidence from Taiwan," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 483-501, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:pacecr:v:19:y:2014:i:4:p:483-501
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/1468-0106.12075
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Frijters & David W. Johnston & Manisha Shah & Michael A. Shields, 2009. "To Work or Not to Work? Child Development and Maternal Labor Supply," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(3), pages 97-110, July.
    2. Elise Gould, 2004. "Decomposing the effects of children's health on mother's labor supply: is it time or money?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(6), pages 525-541, June.
    3. Barbara L. Wolfe & Steven C. Hill, 1995. "The Effect of Health on the Work Effort of Single Mothers," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 30(1), pages 42-62.
    4. Hope Corman & Kelly Noonan & Nancy E. Reichman, 2005. "Mother's Labor Supply in Fragile Families: The Role of Child Health," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 31(4), pages 601-616, Fall.
    5. Nazli Baydar & Jutta Joesch & Gail Kieckhefer & Hyoshin Kim & April Greek, 2007. "Employment Behaviors of Mothers Who have a Child with Asthma," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 337-355, September.
    6. repec:pri:cheawb:case_paxson_economic_status_paper is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Elizabeth T. Powers, 2003. "Children’s Health and Maternal Work Activity: Estimates under Alternative Disability Definitions," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 38(3).
    8. Anne Case & Darren Lubotsky & Christina Paxson, 2002. "Economic Status and Health in Childhood: The Origins of the Gradient," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(5), pages 1308-1334, December.
    9. repec:pri:cheawb:case_paxson_economic_status_paper.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Elizabeth T. Powers, 2001. "New Estimates of the Impact of Child Disability on Maternal Employment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 135-139, May.
    11. Hwei‐Lin Chuang & Ning Hsieh & Eric S. Lin, 2010. "Labour Market Activity Of Foreign Spouses In Taiwan: Employment Status And Choice Of Employment Sector," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(4), pages 505-531, October.
    12. David S. Salkever, 1982. "Children's Health Problems and Maternal Work Status," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 17(1), pages 94-109.
    13. Jean Kimmel, 1997. "Reducing the Welfare Dependence of Unmarried Mothers: Health-Related Employment Barriers and Policy Responses," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 23(2), pages 151-163, Spring.
    14. Chou, Shin-Yi & Grossman, Michael & Liu, Jin-Tan, 2014. "The impact of National Health Insurance on birth outcomes: A natural experiment in Taiwan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 75-91.
    15. Chikako Yamauchi, 2012. "Children’s Health and Parental Labour Supply," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 88(281), pages 195-213, June.
    16. Jean Kimmel, 1998. "Child Care Costs As A Barrier To Employment For Single And Married Mothers," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(2), pages 287-299, May.
    17. David Zimmer, 2007. "Child Health and Maternal Work Activity: The Role of Unobserved Heterogeneity," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 33(1), pages 43-64, Winter.
    18. Karen Norberg, 1998. "The Effects of Daycare Reconsidered," NBER Working Papers 6769, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Hope Corman & Nancy E. Reichman & Kelly Noonan, 2003. "Mothers' and Fathers' Labor Supply in Fragile Families: The Role of Child Health," NBER Working Papers 9918, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zeng-Hua Lu & Alec Zuo, 2017. "Child disability, welfare payments, marital status and mothers’ labor supply: Evidence from Australia," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1339769-133, January.
    2. Porto Natalia & Carella Laura & Rucci Ana Clara & Velazquez Cecilia, 2023. "Children living with disabilities and mother`s labor supply in developing countries: evidence from Argentina," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4686, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    3. Eriksen, Tine L. Mundbjerg & Gaulke, Amanda & Skipper, Niels & Svensson, Jannet, 2021. "The impact of childhood health shocks on parental labor supply," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Hua Zan & Robert L. Scharff, 2018. "The Effects of Children’s Health on Mothers’ Employment," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 297-309, June.
    5. Peter Burton & Kelly Chen & Lynn Lethbridge & Shelley Phipps, 2017. "Child health and parental paid work," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 597-620, June.
    6. Mahmud, Mir, 2016. "Child Disability, Children’s Time with Mother and Maternal Employment," MPRA Paper 72816, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Wasi, Nada & den Berg, Bernard van & Buchmueller, Thomas C., 2012. "Heterogeneous effects of child disability on maternal labor supply: Evidence from the 2000 US Census," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 139-154.
    8. repec:iae:iaewps:wp2016n6 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Morrill, Melinda Sandler, 2011. "The effects of maternal employment on the health of school-age children," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 240-257, March.
    10. Diego Amador & Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio, 2017. "The Effect of Child Disability on Parents' Labour Supply: Evidence from Colombia," Documentos CEDE 15467, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    11. Lukáš Lafférs & Bernhard Schmidpeter, 2021. "Early child development and parents' labor supply," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 190-208, March.
    12. Anna Zhu, 2016. "Maternal Employment Trajectories and Caring for an Infant or Toddler with a Disability," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2016n06, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    13. Pinka Chatterji & Kajal Lahiri & Jingya Song, 2013. "The Dynamics Of Income‐Related Health Inequality Among American Children," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(5), pages 623-629, May.
    14. Zeng‐Hua Lu & Alec Zuo, 2010. "Effects Of A Child'S Disability On Affected Female'S Labour Supply In Australia," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 222-240, September.
    15. Arlette Simo Fotso, 2017. "Child Disability and Mothers' Labour Market Participation in Cameroon," Journal of African Development, African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA), vol. 19(1), pages 27-60.
    16. David Zimmer, 2007. "Child Health and Maternal Work Activity: The Role of Unobserved Heterogeneity," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 33(1), pages 43-64, Winter.
    17. Kouki, Amairisa, 2023. "Beyond the “Comforts” of work from home: Child health and the female wage penalty," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    18. Anette Primdal Kvist & Helena Skyt Nielsen & Marianne Simonsen, 2011. "The effects of Children’s ADHD on Parents’ Relationship Dissolution and Labor Supply," Economics Working Papers 2011-14, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    19. Nazli Baydar & Jutta Joesch & Gail Kieckhefer & Hyoshin Kim & April Greek, 2007. "Employment Behaviors of Mothers Who have a Child with Asthma," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 337-355, September.
    20. DeRigne, LeaAnne & Porterfield, Shirley, 2010. "Employment change and the role of the medical home for married and single-mother families with children with special health care needs," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 631-641, February.
    21. Nancy E. Reichman & Hope Corman & Kelly Noonan, 2006. "Effects of Child Health on Sources of Public Support," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(1), pages 136-156, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:pacecr:v:19:y:2014:i:4:p:483-501. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1361-374X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.