Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/283138.2 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsreihe No. 345
Version Description: 
This Version: April 9, 2024
Publisher: 
Universität Augsburg, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre, Augsburg
Abstract: 
We provide experimental evidence that enabling access to universal early child care increases maternallabor supply and promotes gender equality among families with lower socioeconomic status (SES). Ourintervention offers information and customized help with child care applications, leading to a boost inchild care enrollment among lower-SES families. 18 months after the intervention, we find substantialincreases in maternal full-time employment (+160%), maternal earnings (+22%), and household income(+10%). Intriguingly, the positive employment effects are not only driven by extended hours at child carecenters, but also by an increase in care hours by fathers. Gender equality also benefits more broadly frombetter access to child care: The treatment improves a gender equality index that combines informationon intra-household division of working hours, care hours, and earnings by 40% of a standard deviation,with significant increases in each dimension. For higher-SES families, we consistently observe negligible,insignificant treatment effects.
Subjects: 
child care
maternal employment
gender equality
randomized controlled trial
JEL: 
J13
J18
J22
C93
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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2 10419/283138.2 This Version: April 9, 2024
1 10419/283138 This Version: January 14, 2023

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