Essential work and emergency childcare: Identifying gender differences in COVID-19 effects on labour demand and supply

Jordy Meekes, Wolter H. J. Hassink and Guyonne Kalb
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Wolter H. J. Hassink: Utrecht University School of Economics, Utrecht University; Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series from Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Abstract: We examine whether the COVID-19 crisis affects women and men differently in terms of employment, working hours and hourly wages outcomes, and whether the effects are demand or supply driven. COVID-19 impacts are studied using administrative data on all Dutch employees up to 30 June 2020, focusing on the national lockdown and the emergency childcare for essential workers in the Netherlands. First, we find that the impact of COVID-19 is much larger for non-essential workers than for essential workers. Although, on average, women and men are equally affected, female non-essential workers are more affected than male non-essential workers. Second, partnered individuals with young children are equally affected by the crisis as others, irrespective of gender and spousal employment. Third, singleparent essential workers experience relatively large negative labour supply effects, suggesting emergency childcare was not sufficient for this group. However, overall, labour demand effects appear more important than labour supply effects.

Keywords: COVID-19; Gender; Employment; Hours worked; Lockdown; Essential workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 J16 J20 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39pp
Date: 2020-11
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Essential work and emergency childcare: identifying gender differences in COVID-19 effects on labour demand and supply (2023)
Working Paper: Essential Work and Emergency Childcare: Identifying Gender Differences in COVID-19 Effects on Labour Demand and Supply (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2020n24

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