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All in the family: informal childcare and mothers’ labour market participation

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  • Pronzato, Chiara
  • Patrício Tavares, Lara
  • Arpino, Bruno

Abstract

In the traditional models of female labour supply formal childcare is assumed to be provided by the market. This is not the case in most European countries. In this paper we estimate the causal effect of a particular kind of informal care, the one provided by grandparents, on mothers' work decisions in Italy. We deal with the endogeneity due to mothers' and grandparents' unobserved preferences by instrumenting grandparents' help. We find that having grandparents helping with childcare increases mothers' labour market participation. The effect is particularly strong for lower educated mothers of young children, in North and Centre Italy.

Suggested Citation

  • Pronzato, Chiara & Patrício Tavares, Lara & Arpino, Bruno, 2010. "All in the family: informal childcare and mothers’ labour market participation," ISER Working Paper Series 2010-24, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:ese:iserwp:2010-24
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniela Del Boca, 2002. "The effect of child care and part time opportunities on participation and fertility decisions in Italy," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 15(3), pages 549-573.
    2. Daniela Del Boca & Silvia Pasqua & Chiara Pronzato, 2009. "Motherhood and market work decisions in institutional context: a European perspective," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 61(suppl_1), pages 147-171, April.
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    4. Daniela Del Boca & Marilena Locatelli & Daniela Vuri, 2005. "Child-Care Choices by Working Mothers: The Case of Italy," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 453-477, December.
    5. El-Attar, Mayssun, 2007. "Trust, Child Care Technology Choice and Female Labor Force Participation," IZA Discussion Papers 3135, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Daniela Del Boca & Daniela Vuri, 2007. "The mismatch between employment and child care in Italy: the impact of rationing," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 20(4), pages 805-832, October.
    7. Parera-Nicolau, Antonia & Mumford, Karen A., 2005. "Labour Supply and Childcare for British Mothers in Two-Parent Families: A Structural Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 1908, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Del Boca, Daniela & Locatelli, Marilena & Vuri, Daniela, 2004. "Child Care Choices by Italian Households," IZA Discussion Papers 983, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    1. Sirpa Weckström, 2015. "Finnish Mothers’ Assessments of the Harmfulness of Childcare at Home on Occupational Careers: A Comparison of Twelve European Countries," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-22, November.
    2. Eva Garcia-Moran & Zoe Kuehn, 2012. "With Strings Attached: Grandparent-Provided Child care, Fertility, and Female Labor Market Outcomes," CEPRA working paper 1202, USI Università della Svizzera italiana.
    3. Maaike Jappens & Jan Van Bavel, 2012. "Regional family cultures and child care by grandparents in Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(4), pages 85-120.
    4. Compton, Janice & Pollak, Robert A., 2014. "Family proximity, childcare, and women’s labor force attachment," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 72-90.
    5. García-Morán, Eva & Kuehn, Zoe, 2012. "With strings attached: Grandparent-provided child care, fertility, and female labor market outcomes," MPRA Paper 37001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Bünning, Mareike, 2017. "The association between social support networks and maternal employment: a comparison of western German, eastern German, and migrant mothers of preschool-aged children," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 20(3), pages 273-291.
    7. Lusi Liao & Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat, 2022. "Alternative boomerang kids, intergenerational co-residence, and maternal labor supply," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 609-634, June.
    8. Ciani, Emanuele, 2016. "Retirement, pension eligibility and home production," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 106-120.
    9. Valeria Bordone & Bruno Arpino & Arnstein Aassve, 2012. "Policy perspectives of grandparenting in Europe," Working Papers 051, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    10. Giorgio Di Gessa & Karen Glaser & Debora Price & Eloi Ribe & Anthea Tinker, 2016. "What Drives National Differences in Intensive Grandparental Childcare in Europe?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 71(1), pages 141-153.
    11. Eva Garcia-Moran & Zoe Kuehn, 2017. "With Strings Attached: Grandparent-Provided Child Care and Female Labor Market Outcomes," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 23, pages 80-98, January.
    12. Giacomo De Giorgi & Marco Paccagnella & Michele Pellizzari, 2013. "Gender complementarities in the labor market," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 183, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    13. García-Morán, Eva & Kuehn, Zoe, 2013. "With strings attached: Grandparent-provided child care and female labor market outcomes," MPRA Paper 48953, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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