abstract: 'Expanding public or publicly subsidized childcare has been a top social

  policy priority in many industrialized countries. It is supposed to

  increase fertility, promote children''s development and enhance mothers''

  labor market attachment. In this paper, we analyze the causal effect of

  one of the largest expansions of subsidized childcare for children up to

  three years among industrialized countries on the employment of mothers

  in Germany. Identification is based on spatial and temporal variation in

  the expansion of publicly subsidized childcare triggered by two

  comprehensive childcare policy reforms. The empirical analysis is based

  on the German Microcensus that is matched to county level data on

  childcare availability. Based on our preferred specification which

  includes time and county fixed effects we find that an increase in

  childcare slots by one percentage point increases mothers'' labor market

  participation rate by 0.2 percentage points. The overall increase in

  employment is explained by the rise in part-time employment with

  relatively long hours (20-35 h per week). We do not find a change in

  full-time employment or lower part-time employment that is causally

  related to the childcare expansion. The effect is almost entirely driven

  by mothers with medium-level qualifications. Mothers with low education

  levels do not profit from this reform calling for a stronger policy

  focus on particularly disadvantaged groups in coming years.'
affiliation: 'Wrohlich, K (Corresponding Author), German Inst Econ Res Berlin DIW
  Berlin, Mohrenstr 58, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.

  Mueller, Kai-Uwe; Wrohlich, Katharina, German Inst Econ Res Berlin DIW Berlin, Mohrenstr
  58, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.'
article-number: '101776'
author: Mueller, Kai-Uwe and Wrohlich, Katharina
author-email: kwrohlich@diw.de
author_list:
- family: Mueller
  given: Kai-Uwe
- family: Wrohlich
  given: Katharina
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2019.101776
eissn: 1879-1034
files: []
issn: 0927-5371
journal: LABOUR ECONOMICS
keywords: 'Childcare provision; Mother''s labor supply; Generalized

  difference-in-difference'
keywords-plus: 'STRUCTURAL MODEL; LOW-INCOME; MARRIED MOTHERS; YOUNG-CHILDREN;

  EMPLOYMENT; SINGLE; COSTS; DECISIONS; QUALITY; DEMAND'
language: English
month: JAN
number-of-cited-references: '83'
papis_id: d8822601c63f3b0dd7136577e1d74f67
ref: Mueller2020doessubsidized
times-cited: '20'
title: Does subsidized care for toddlers increase maternal labor supply? Evidence
  from a large-scale expansion of early childcare
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000514015500009
usage-count-last-180-days: '6'
usage-count-since-2013: '24'
volume: '62'
web-of-science-categories: Economics
year: '2020'