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on Demographic Economics |
| By: | Olympia Bover; Alessandro Ruggieri; Carlos Sanz; Yuliya Kulikova; Nezih Guner |
| Abstract: | Family-friendly policies aim to help women balance work and family life, encouraging them to participate in the labor market. How effective are such policies in increasing fertility? We answer this question using a search model of the labor market where firms make hiring, promotion, and firing decisions, taking into account how these decisions affect workers' fertility incentives and labor force participation decisions. We estimate the model using administrative data from Spain, a country with very low fertility and a highly regulated labor market. We use the model to study family-friendly policies and demonstrate that firms' reactions result in a trade-off: policies that increase fertility reduce women's participation in the labor market and lower their lifetime earnings. |
| Keywords: | family-friendly policies, fertility, flexibility, gender gaps, Human Capital Accumulation, search and matching, welfare |
| JEL: | E24 J08 J13 J18 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bge:wpaper:1568 |
| By: | Sofie Cairo; Ria Ivandic; Anne Sophie Lassen; Valentina Tartari |
| Abstract: | Persistent gender gaps in the labor market are largely driven by the underrepresentation of women at the top of most professions. We study how parenthood shapes gender gaps in academic careers using population-wide administrative and survey data linked to productivity and promotion records. Parenthood marks a sharp divergence in academic careers: one in three women exit academia following motherhood. Men also experience a decline in academic employment after fatherhood, but the effects are substantially smaller. For mothers, childbirth leads to a persistent decline in both tenure attainment and research output, while men's trajectories on these margins are unaffected by parenthood. The child penalty on tenure is driven primarily by women's higher exit rates from academia. Gender differences in career aspirations do not explain these findings; instead, childcare and mobility constraints play a central role. Child penalties are exacerbated in highly competitive environments and environments without senior female role models. |
| Keywords: | gender, labour, academic, careers, child care, penalty |
| Date: | 2026–03–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2160 |
| By: | Chris M. Boyd (Department of Economics, Towson University); Norma Correa (Department of Social Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru); Angelo Cozzubo (Department of Economics, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru); Jose Maria Renteria (Department of Economics, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru) |
| Abstract: | We investigate the unintended impacts of exiting Peru’s Cuna Más public childcare program on child and maternal health. With increased public child- care use in developing countries, understanding the effects of program exit is critical. We use Cuna Más’ strict age-based graduation rule to identify causal impacts, leveraging comprehensive data from the Demographic and Family Health Survey for the period 2015-2019. Our results suggest that mothers prioritize their children’s health over their own upon program exit. While maternal mental health shows a notable decline, children's health remains unaffected. These results have important policy implications, highlighting the need for post-program transitional support to mitigate hidden costs for mothers and enhance the positive outcomes children gain during program participation. |
| Keywords: | Early childhood interventions, Childcare, Child development. |
| JEL: | I12 I21 J13 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tow:wpaper:2026-06 |
| By: | Owen Thompson; Jason Fletcher; Karin Wu |
| Abstract: | The U.S. hospital sector expanded rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, largely due to construction subsidies provided under federal legislation known as the Hill-Burton Act. This paper examines the impact of Hill-Burton grants on maternity care access and infant health. We find that grants for public hospitals significantly reduced out-of-hospital births and infant mortality, particularly among non-white populations. In contrast, grants for private non-profit hospitals had no measurable effects on out-of-hospital births or infant mortality. |
| JEL: | H40 I39 J18 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34976 |
| By: | Annie Liu; Pinghui Wu |
| Abstract: | Educational attainment profoundly shapes cumulative earnings trends across US birth cohorts. Between the 1933 and 1977 cohorts, men with an advanced degree experienced rising earnings in both the early-career (ages 25 to 44) and late-career (ages 45 to 64) stages, while those with a sub-baccalaureate education―and college graduates outside the 1951–1965 cohorts―saw minimal earnings growth. Women experienced broad-based gains, with larger increases among those with a bachelor’s or advanced degree. For less educated men, extended work life represented the primary growth margin in the late-career stage. While gaps between education groups widened, within-group dispersion rose across cohorts, particularly among men born between 1933 and 1957. These cohort-to-cohort changes emerged at labor market entry and persisted throughout the career cycle, indicating that the conditions in which careers begin critically shape long-run inequality dynamics. |
| Keywords: | educational attainment; long-term cumulative earnings; earnings disparities |
| JEL: | I24 I26 J24 J31 |
| Date: | 2026–03–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedbwp:102908 |
| By: | Suzanne Bellue; Matthias Doepke; Michele Tertilt |
| Abstract: | Standard models of the family assume that spouses share information. In this paper, we challenge this assumption with theory and evidence. We field a new survey module in the Dutch LISS panel where spouses independently report their knowledge of each other's finances. Private information is pervasive: in 40 percent of couples, at least one partner lacks full knowledge of the other's income. We examine the implications of private information for intrahousehold risk sharing using a mechanism design approach. Our model predicts that a spouse's consumption share rises with their income share when information frictons are present but is independent of income under full information. Constrained-efficient allocations can be sustained without full revelation: each spouse chooses how much money to bring home, and hidden income is never revealed. Evidence from the LISS panel confirms the predictions: a positive relationship between income and consumption shares appears only among imperfectly informed couples. Controlling for limited commitment does not affect this result, suggesting that information asymmetries---rather than commitment frictions---drive departures from full insurance. |
| Keywords: | Family Economics, Marital Bargaining, Gender, Private Information, Asymmetric Information |
| JEL: | D13 D82 J12 J16 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_738 |
| By: | LEE, Sunhee; LI, Yalan; OSAWA, Ayako; USUI, Emiko |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how gender and parenthood relate to time allocation among university faculty using survey data from a large research university in Japan. The data provide detailed information on time spent on research, teaching, administrative work, and household activities. We document substantial gender differences in time allocation. In particular, women spend less time on research and more time on household responsibilities than men, with the gap being especially pronounced among those with children. Teaching time remains relatively similar across groups. These findings suggest that family-related constraints affect the allocation of time differently for men and women, which may contribute to gender disparities in research productivity and academic careers. |
| Keywords: | Time Allocation, Academic labor market, Work–life balance, University researchers |
| JEL: | J16 J22 J44 |
| Date: | 2026–03–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hit:cisdps:709 |