findings:higher relative wages significantly increase FLFP for female teachers; presence of new-born baby significantly decreases FLFP, significantly more than non-teachers; does not have effect on teacher/non-teacher selection
channels:most relevant determinant for FLFP as teacher is college major in education; education level significant determinant; higher baby-exit effect may be due to relatively temporary lower wage loss for teachers
A study on the effects of providing relatively higher wages for teachers, as well as fertility differences, on labour market participation of young female teachers.
It finds that providing relatively higher wages for teaching professions as compared to non-teaching professions significantly increases female labour force participation for teachers, though the strongest determinant for it is possessing a college major in education, with overall education level being another determinant.
The study also looks at the effects of the presence of a new-born baby and finds that it significantly decreases female labour force participation and is almost twice as large for women in the teaching profession as compared to non-teaching jobs, though it does not have an effect on the choice of job between teaching or non-teaching.
The authors suggest this relatively higher exit from the labour market for women with new-born babies in teaching professions may once again be due to low wages:teachers leaving the labour market experience relatively lower temporary wage losses than in other professions, decreasing the exit-cost.
A limitation of the study is its restricted focus on strictly female underlying panel data which does not allow for comparisons between genders within or across professions.
