Gender of Youngest Child and Mother’s Engagement in Labor Market: Evidence from India

Mousumi Dutta, Presidency University

Studies have examined the association between gender of children and maternal employment. Findings are contradictory, calling for further evidence on the nature of this association, particularly for patriarchal South Asian countries. This study examines the association between gender of the youngest child (aged less than 5 years) and maternal employment for India, a fast growing South Asian country with poor gender indicators and declining female work force participation. The study uses information on women aged 15-49 years from the National Family Health Survey. Three rounds—2005-06, 2015-16 and 2019-21—are used. A logit model is estimated for the regression of employment status on gender of the last child and relevant control variables for pooled data and each round. It is subsequently extended to incorporate the effects of (i) seasonal variations in demand for labor, (ii) birth order of the child, (iii) informal care networks within the family, and (iv) ICDS centers. Preliminary results reveal that women are more likely to work if their last child is a son; however, such respondents will be engaged on a part time basis. Neither variations in demand for labor nor presence of ICDS centers mediate the association between gender of child and maternal employment.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Econometrics

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