Abstract:
This paper estimates the causal effect of parental right to work from home (WfH) on children's educational attainment. Using administrative data from the Netherlands and variations in firm-specific WfH policies, which generate natural experiments, we find that children whose parents gain the right to WfH improve their scores on a high-stakes exam by 9% of a standard deviation. This results in a 4 percentage points upswing in qualifying for a general or academic track in secondary school. Additionally, using the labor force survey, we find that changes in WfH policies are associated with a 17 percentage points increase in WfH propensity, but no change in hours worked or income. These results highlight the large potential benefits of remote work in supporting families and their children.