Volume 38, Number 3 (Summer) 2003
Powers, Elizabeth T. 2003. "Children's Health and Maternal Work Activity: Estimates under Alternative Disability." Journal of Human Resources 38(3):522-556.
Past empirical findings indicate that children's health problems
reduce - married mothers' employment but are inconclusive in the case of female
heads. These studies use diverse disability definitions, samples, and
specifications. This paper uses pooled SIPP panels to investigate the impact of
alternative disability measures on maternal market work. Negative effects of
several disability definitions on female heads' and wives' employment and hours
at a point in time are found. In contrast, while female heads' growth in work
hours over time and probabilities of entering employment appear adversely
affected by child disability, there is no evidence for analogous effects on
wives.
Elizabeth T. Powers is an assistant professor in the Institute of
Government and Public Affairs and Department of Economics, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She thanks Alan Auerbach for comments on an
earlier draft and Parker Yi for research assistance. The data used in this
article can be obtained beginning February, 2004 through January 2007 from
Elizabeth Powers. Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1007 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801 or e-mail
to epowers@uiuc.edu .
© 2003 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
US ISSN 0022-166X