Women's Career Choices, Social Norms and Child Care Policies

Francesca Barigozzi, Helmuth Cremer and Kerstin Roeder ()
Additional contact information
Kerstin Roeder: University of Augsburg

No 10502, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Our model explains the observed gender-specific patterns of career and child care choices through endogenous social norms. We study how these norms interact with the gender wage gap. We show that via the social norm a couple's child care and career choices impose an externality on other couples, so that the laissez-faire is inefficient. We use our model to study the design and effectiveness of three commonly used policies. We find that child care subsidies and women quotas can be effective tools to mitigate or eliminate the externality. Parental leave, however, may even intensify the externality and decrease welfare.

Keywords: social norms; child care; women's career choices; women quotas; child care subsidies; parental leave (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 H23 J16 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2017-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen, nep-lab and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published - published in: Journal of Public Economics, 2018, 168, 162–173

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Related works:
Journal Article: Women's career choices, social norms and child care policies (2018)
Working Paper: Women's career choices, social norms and child care policies (2017)
Working Paper: Women's career choices, social norms and child care policies (2017)
Working Paper: Women's career choices, social norms and child care policies (2017)
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