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Increasing the (Female) Labor Supply

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  • Lara Loewenstein

Abstract

In the United States, women’s labor force participation has been persistently below that of men’s for decades. This Commentary describes three contributors to this divide—the way in which the United States taxes opposite-sex married couples, how Social Security benefits are allocated, and the cost of childcare—and reviews the economic literature quantifying their impact on the labor force participation of women.

Suggested Citation

  • Lara Loewenstein, 2023. "Increasing the (Female) Labor Supply," Economic Commentary, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, vol. 2023(05), March.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedcec:95741
    DOI: 10.26509/frbc-ec-202305
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alexander Bick & Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, 2018. "Taxation and Labour Supply of Married Couples across Countries: A Macroeconomic Analysis," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 85(3), pages 1543-1576.
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    4. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & Alexander Strand, 2013. "Does Disability Insurance Receipt Discourage Work? Using Examiner Assignment to Estimate Causal Effects of SSDI Receipt," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(5), pages 1797-1829, August.
    5. David H. Autor & Mark Duggan & Kyle Greenberg & David S. Lyle, 2016. "The Impact of Disability Benefits on Labor Supply: Evidence from the VA's Disability Compensation Program," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(3), pages 31-68, July.
    6. James Heckman & Seong Hyeok Moon & Rodrigo Pinto & Peter Savelyev & Adam Yavitz, 2010. "Analyzing social experiments as implemented: A reexamination of the evidence from the HighScope Perry Preschool Program," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 1(1), pages 1-46, July.
    7. Manasi Deshpande & Michael Mueller-Smith, 2022. "Does Welfare Prevent Crime? the Criminal Justice Outcomes of Youth Removed from Ssi [“Misdemeanor Prosecution,”]," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 137(4), pages 2263-2307.
    8. Manasi Deshpande & Michael G. Mueller-Smith, 2022. "Does Welfare Prevent Crime? The Criminal Justice Outcomes of Youth Removed From SSI," NBER Working Papers 29800, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Heckman, James J. & Moon, Seong Hyeok & Pinto, Rodrigo & Savelyev, Peter A. & Yavitz, Adam, 2010. "The rate of return to the HighScope Perry Preschool Program," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-2), pages 114-128, February.
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