Scholarlink

<p>This study identifies an additional channel through which macroeconomic conditions at the time of childbearing may contribute to persistent gender differences in earnings following childbirth. Beyond women’s voluntary wage cuts in pursuit of family-friendly job amenities, we argue that unfavorable labor market conditions at the time of childbearing exacerbate the gender gap among parents. Employing the instrumental variable (IV) approach with an extensive cross-sectional dataset from the United States, we establish that giving birth during a recession leads to a reduction in mothers’ earnings, while fathers largely remain unaffected. This asymmetric impact of a recession during childbirth persists over a prolonged period and accounts for 1.1–10.7 percent of the post-childbirth gender gap in earnings. The unintended repercussions of economic downturns on the gender disparity in parenthood highlight the potential for government interventions to address women’s career interruptions.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Long-term Effects of Recession on Parenthood Gender Inequality in Labor Market Outcomes

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月21日

查看全文
  • Jinyoung Kim,
  • Eunhye Kwak

摘要

This study identifies an additional channel through which macroeconomic conditions at the time of childbearing may contribute to persistent gender differences in earnings following childbirth. Beyond women’s voluntary wage cuts in pursuit of family-friendly job amenities, we argue that unfavorable labor market conditions at the time of childbearing exacerbate the gender gap among parents. Employing the instrumental variable (IV) approach with an extensive cross-sectional dataset from the United States, we establish that giving birth during a recession leads to a reduction in mothers’ earnings, while fathers largely remain unaffected. This asymmetric impact of a recession during childbirth persists over a prolonged period and accounts for 1.1–10.7 percent of the post-childbirth gender gap in earnings. The unintended repercussions of economic downturns on the gender disparity in parenthood highlight the potential for government interventions to address women’s career interruptions.