Women and Men at Work: Fertility, Occupational Choice and Development
Peer Reviewed
Date issued
Jul 2022
Subject
Women;
Gender;
Gender Segregation;
Children;
Gender Gap;
Workforce and Employment;
Rating;
Gender and Education;
Female Labor Force;
Occupational Mobility;
Sustainable Growth;
Economy;
Wage
JEL code
E25 - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution;
J13 - Fertility • Family Planning • Child Care • Children • Youth;
O10 - Economic Development: General
Country
India;
United States
Category
Discussion Papers
We investigate how changes in barriers to female labor force participation and in the child penalty affect occupational decisions, fertility and income. We build a general equilibrium model of occupational choice with men and women, human capital investment and fertility. We fit the model to the US and India. Changing gender barriers account for 31% of US growth between 1960 and 2010 (4.1% for India in 1983-2004). The implications of these barriers for the welfare of female workers with children were even larger, with lower child penalty alone increasing the welfare of this group by
7% in the US.
7% in the US.
