Long-Run Effects of Incentivizing Work after Childbirth

Elira Kuka and Na'ama Shenhav

American Economic Review, 2024, vol. 114, issue 6, 1692-1722

Abstract: This paper identifies the impact of increasing post-childbirth work incentives on mothers' long-run careers. We exploit variation in work incentives across mothers based on the timing of a first birth and eligibility for the 1993 expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Ten to nineteen years after a first birth, single mothers who were exposed to the expansion immediately after birth ("early"), rather than 3–6 years later ("late"), have 0.62 more years of work experience and 4.2 percent higher earnings conditional on working. We show that higher earnings are primarily explained by improved wages due to greater work experience.

JEL-codes: H24 H31 J16 J22 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Long-Run Effects of Incentivizing Work After Childbirth (2023)
Working Paper: Long-Run Effects of Incentivizing Work After Childbirth (2020)
Working Paper: Long-Run Effects of Incentivizing Work After Childbirth (2020)
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DOI: 10.1257/aer.20220792

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