Premium
School Hours and Maternal Labor Supply
Author(s) -
Shure Nikki
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
kyklos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1467-6435
pISSN - 0023-5962
DOI - 10.1111/kykl.12195
Subject(s) - margin (machine learning) , german , logit , nested logit , panel data , exploit , economics , estimation , logistic regression , working hours , labour economics , set (abstract data type) , demographic economics , difference in differences , econometrics , statistics , computer science , mathematics , geography , computer security , management , archaeology , machine learning , programming language
Summary This paper examines the effect of extending the primary school day on maternal labor supply. I exploit the staggered nature of the recent German reform to extend school hours and assess whether or not gaining access to a full day school increases the likelihood that mothers enter into the labor market or extend their hours worked if already employed. I use the German Socio‐Economic Panel data set (GSOEP) and link it to a self‐collected school‐level data set with geographical information software (GIS). Using a flexible difference‐in‐difference approach in the estimation of linear probability and logit models, I find that the policy has a statistically significant effect of approximately five percentage points at the extensive margin, drawing more women into the labor market. I find no significant effect of the policy at the intensive margin; women who were already working do not extend their hours worked. This has implications for policies to extend the school day that do not correspond to the working day.