Intergenerational Childcare: Full-time Schools and Grandmother’s Labour Supply

Francisco Cabrera presented a joined paper on the regular online CInSt research seminar on 16th April. This study analyses the effect of childcare provision on the labor supply of grandmothers with school-age grandchildren in the context of Mexico’s Full-Time Schools Program. The authors document how the availability of all-day schools in a municipality affects grandmothers’ decision to participate in the labor market both at the extensive and intensive margins.

Preliminary results indicate that childcare subsidies, through longer school days, increase grandmothers’ labor supply at the extensive margin, especially for those living in high-poverty localities and with lower education levels. The results are consistent with the literature showing intergenerational childcare reduces employment and labour force participation. Public child care provision on female labour force participation extends to older women potentially reducing economic and social costs for the elder.

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Presentation (PDF, 1.24 Мб)