Publication:
Maternal Work and Children’s Development: Examining 20 Years of Evidence

Abstract
Maternal work may affect children positively through increased household income, higher control of mothers over available income, and expansion of maternal information networks through work contacts and greater decision-making power of mothers as they become more economically empowered. However, maternal work may reduce maternal time spent with children. If maternal time is not substituted for time of equal quality by other caregivers, children’s development may be penalized. Stress associated with work may also decrease the quality of parenting. This review summarizes causal evidence on the relationship between maternal work and children’s development. The majority causal studies find positive or 0 impacts of maternal work on children’s development.
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Lo Bue, Maria C.; Perova, Elizaveta; Reynolds, Sarah. 2023. Maternal Work and Children’s Development: Examining 20 Years of Evidence. Policy Research Working Papers;10305. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39447 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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