Maternity Leave, Effort Allocation, and Postmotherhood Earnings | Zendy

Evgenia Dechter | Zendy

AI Assistant Blog Pricing

Home ZAIA Blog

Open Access

Maternity Leave, Effort Allocation, and Postmotherhood Earnings

Author(s) -

Evgenia Dechter

Publication year - 2014

Publication title -

journal of human capital

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.285

H-Index - 21

eISSN - 1932-8664

pISSN - 1932-8575

DOI - 10.1086/677324

Subject(s) - human capital , earnings , economics , wage , childbirth , labour economics , work (physics) , capital (architecture) , wage rate , pregnancy , finance , biology , market economy , mechanical engineering , history , archaeology , engineering , genetics

Women with children earn less than women without children. I study this wage gap using a dynamic model of human capital accumulation with endogenous time and effort allocation between household and market activities. Selection into motherhood does not drive the gap in hourly wage. I decompose this gap into forgone human capital and changing effort at work. Human capital depreciates as a result of maternity leave and accumulates at a lower rate after childbirth because of a reduction in work hours. Effort at work does not decline after childbirth. Reduced human capital accumulation explains the entire postmotherhood loss in hourly wage.

The content you want is available to Zendy users.

Already have an account? Click here to sign in.

Having issues? You can contact us here

Accelerating Research