Supporting Mothers Back to Work: Experimental Evidence on Employment, Fertility, and Child Outcomes

Daniela Del Boca, Luca Favero and Chiara Pronzato ()
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Luca Favero: University of St. Andrews
Chiara Pronzato: University of Turin

No 2026-006, Working Papers from Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group

Abstract: Many advanced economies face persistently low fertility alongside rapid population ageing, raising concerns about economic sustainability and demographic balance. Addressing these challenges requires both sustained labor market participation among the working-age population and conditions that support childbearing. These objectives place women, and particularly mothers, at the center of the demographic debate, as motherhood remains a key turning point in employment trajectories and family formation. Using experimental evidence from an intervention targeting mothers who curtailed employment due to childcare responsibilities, the paper finds that improving work–family reconciliation can support mothers’ labor market reintegration, promote investments in existing children, and, under conditions of greater stability, strengthen fertility desires.

Keywords: work; motherhood; family-friendly policies; desired fertility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 J18 J21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05
Note: ECI, FI
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http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/DelBoc ... ers-back-to-work.pdf First version, April 2026 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Supporting Mothers Back to Work: Experimental Evidence on Employment, Fertility, and Child Outcomes (2026)
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