Mid-term evolution of the labour market status of mothers with young children in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period
Abstract
In our study, we examine how the labour market status of women with young children changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daycare for children was interrupted several times during the pandemic, and parents had to stay at home with their children during the closures, which put a heavy burden on families, especially mothers. The focus of our study is the labour market activity and employment of mothers with children aged 6-11 at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our estimates, the probability of leaving the labour market among mothers with young children increased by 4.9 percentage points compared to the rest of society after the closure of public education institutions. The labour market situation of mothers with small children was much worse not only during the COVID pandemic, but in the longer term, even at the end of 2023, compared to a normal, pandemic-free period.
References
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BAUERNSCHUSTER, S.–SCHLOTTER, M. [2015]: Public child care and mothers’ labor supply. Evidence from two quasi-experiments. Journal of Public Economics, Vol. 123. 1–16. o. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2014.12.013.
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BETTENDORF, L. J. H.–JONGEN, E. L. W.–MULLER, P. [2015]: Childcare subsidies and labour supply. Evidence from a large Dutch reform. Labour Economics, Vol. 36. 112–123. o. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2015.03.007.
GELBACH, J. B. [2002]: Public Schooling for Young Children and Maternal Labor Supply. American Economic Review, Vol. 92. No. 1. 307–322. o. https://doi.org/10.1257/000282802760015748.
GIVORD, P.–MARBOT, C. [2015]: Does the cost of child care affect female labor market participation? An evaluation of a French reform of childcare subsidies. Labour Economics, Vol. 36. 99–111. o. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2015.07.003.
HAECK, C.–LEFEBVRE, P.–MERRIGAN, P. [2015]: Canadian evidence on ten years of universal preschool policies. The good and the bad. Labour Economics, Vol. 36. 137–157. o. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2015.05.002.
HARDOY, I.–SCHØNE, P. [2015]: Enticing Even Higher Female Labor Supply: The Impact of Cheaper Day Care. Review of Economics of the Household, Vol. 13. No. 4. 815–836. o. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-013-9215-8.
KSH [2021]: Foglalkoztatottság és munkanélküliség. Módszertan. Február 26. https://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/modszgyors/fogmodsz2101.html.
LEFEBVRE, P.–MERRIGAN, P. [2008]: Child-Care Policy and the Labor Supply of Mothers with Young Children: A Natural Experiment from Canada. Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 26. No. 3. 519–548. o. https://doi.org/10.1086/587760.
MÜLLER, K.-U.–WROHLICH, K. [2020]: Does Subsidized Care for Toddlers Increase Maternal Labor Supply? Evidence from a Large-Scale Expansion of Early Childcare. Labour Economics, Vol. 62. 101776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.101776.
NOLLENBERGER, N.–RODRÍGUEZ-PLANAS, N. [2015]: Full-time universal childcare in a context of low maternal employment. Quasi-experimental evidence from Spain. Labour Economics, Vol. C. 124–136. o. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2015.02.008.
OLDEN–MØEN [2022]: The triple difference estimator. The Econometrics Journal, Vol. 25. No. 3. 531–553. o. https://doi.org/10.1093/ectj/utab019.
SZABÓ-MORVAI ÁGNES [2018]: Háztartási munkamegosztás. Megjelent: Munkaerőpiaci tükör, 2017. MTA Közgazdaság- és Regionális Tudományi Kutatóközpont Közgazdaság-tudományi Intézet, Budapest, 168–171. o.
SZABÓ-MORVAI ÁGNES–LOVÁSZ ANNA [2024]: Where Can Childcare Expansion Increase Maternal Labor Supply? A Comparison of Quasi-Experimental Estimates from Seven Countries. Empirical Economics, Vol. 66. No. 6. 2823–2879. o. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-023-02531-6.
Published
2025-01-13
How to Cite
Szabó-Morvai Ágnes, & VonnákD. (2025). Mid-term evolution of the labour market status of mothers with young children in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. Hungarian Economic Review, 72(1), 50-58. Retrieved from https://ojs3.mtak.hu/index.php/kszemle/article/view/18219
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