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The Impact of Child and Maternal Health Indicators on Female Labor Force Participation after Childbirth: Evidence for Germany

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  • Annalena Dunkelberg
  • C. Katharina Spieß

Abstract

This paper analyzes the influence of children's health and mothers' physical and mental well-being on female labor force participation after childbirth in Germany. Our analysis uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study, which enables us to measure chil-dren's health based on the occurrence of severe health problems including mental and physi-cal disabilities, hospitalizations, and preterm births. Since child health is measured at a very young age, we can rule out any of the reverse effects of maternal employment on child health identified in US studies. Within a two-year time period, we investigate the influence of these indicators on various aspects of female labor force participation after childbirth, including continuous labor force participation in the year of childbirth and the transition to employment in the year following childbirth. Since the majority of women in Germany do not go back to work within a year after childbirth, we also investigate their intention to return to work, and the preferred number of working hours. We find that the child's severe health problems have a significant negative effect on the mothers' labor force participation and a significant positive effect on her preferred number of working hours, but that hospitalizations or preterm births have no significant effect. For the mothers' own health, we find a significant negative effect of poor mental and physical wellbeing on female labor force participation within a year of child-birth. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical study of this kind on data outside the US.

Suggested Citation

  • Annalena Dunkelberg & C. Katharina Spieß, 2007. "The Impact of Child and Maternal Health Indicators on Female Labor Force Participation after Childbirth: Evidence for Germany," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 686, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp686
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. Ruhm, Christopher J., 2000. "Parental leave and child health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 931-960, November.
    3. Tamm, Marcus, 2005. "The Effect of Poverty on the Health of Newborn Children - Evidence from Germany," RWI Discussion Papers 33, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung.
    4. David S. Salkever, 1982. "Children's Health Problems: Implications for Parental Labor Supply and Earnings," NBER Chapters, in: Economic Aspects of Health, pages 221-252, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. B. Wolfe & S. C. Hill, "undated". "The effect of health on the work effort of low-income single mothers," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 979-92, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    6. repec:zbw:rwidps:0033 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. 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.
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    Cited by:

    1. Katja Coneus & C. Katharina Spieß, 2008. "The Intergenerational Transmission of Health in Early Childhood," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 126, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    2. William Baah-Boateng & Kingsley Laar & Edward Nketiah-Amponsah, 2021. "Child health and maternal labour market engagement in Ghana," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 23(2), pages 283-301, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female labour supply; childhealth; well-being;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • I19 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Other

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