The Presence of Child and Spouse in the Household and Labor Market Opportunities of Male and Female Workers in Thailand

Male and female populations are exposed to different life cycle risks that could reduce labor market opportunities. Since one of the main factors affecting the livelihood of the female population is family and childbearing, this study analyzes the effects of having spouse and child presented in the household on the labor market participation and opportunities of female young adults comparing to male young adults in Thailand. As the estimation faces the crucial problem of selection bias, in which women with higher qualifications or a focus on career success are more likely to choose to remain single or not have children, the Multinomial Treatment Model developed by Deb (2009) is adopted to estimate the effects to correct for the sample selection. The results suggest that the presence of a spouse in the household not only does not reduce the likelihood of female young adults entering the labor market or reduce their incomes, but also leads them to work more and earn higher incomes. However, the presence of children reduces the likelihood that women will enter the labor market, reduce their hours of work, and reduce their incomes. For male young adults, the effects of the presence of a spouse and a child in the household are similar to those for women, except for the labor force participation dimension in the case that both the spouse and the child live together in the household. While female workers living with a spouse and a child are less likely to participate in the labor market, male workers are more likely to work.