Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/339214 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Series/Report no.: 
CEBI Working Paper Series No. 01/26
Publisher: 
University of Copenhagen, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI), Copenhagen
Abstract: 
Using Danish administrative data linked to two independent, validated postpartum depression screenings, we study how postpartum mental health shocks shape women's labor market trajectories. Event-study estimates show no pre-birth differences in trends between depressed and non-depressed mothers, but persistent employment gaps that widen immediately after birth. Health-care utilization patterns indicate that these differences reflect acute mental health shocks rather than pre-existing trends. The penalties are concentrated among less educated mothers and those in less family-friendly jobs. Our results highlight postpartum depression as a meaningful and unequal contributor to the motherhood penalty.
Subjects: 
Postpartum depression
motherhood penalty
labor market inequality
JEL: 
I12
J13
J16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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