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COVID-19 Lockdowns, Women's Employment, and the Motherhood Penalty: Evidence from the Philippines

Author

Listed:
  • Geoffrey M. Ducanes

    (Department of Economics, Ateneo de Manila University)

  • Vincent Jerald Ramos

    (Humboldt University Berlin, Hertie School of Governance)

Abstract
Using labor force survey (LFS) data collected before and during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Philippines, we show that hard lockdowns have a larger negative impact on the employment of women who have minor children compared to women who do not have minor children. Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines is among the hardest-hit by the pandemic, in terms of both the number of infected and its economic toll. A big reason for the relatively large negative economic toll of the pandemic on the country is the extreme and militarized lockdown imposed at the onset of the pandemic in the country's three most populous and economically-important regions, namely Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon. Using difference-in-differences on pooled LFS data, we show that female household heads or spouses with children were significanlty less likely to have work during the hard lockdown compared to female household heads or spouses without children, even after controlling for important covariates. Among women with children, the employment losses are larger the greater number of children a woman has, suggesting a lockdown-induced motherhood penalty in the labor market. A big part of the explanation is the increased care responsibilities disproportionately done by mothers during hard lockdowns, given that children are forced to be at home and to do distance learning. We contribute to the literature on the gendered effects of COVID-19 lockdowns in a developing country.

Suggested Citation

  • Geoffrey M. Ducanes & Vincent Jerald Ramos, 2023. "COVID-19 Lockdowns, Women's Employment, and the Motherhood Penalty: Evidence from the Philippines," Department of Economics, Ateneo de Manila University, Working Paper Series 202304, Department of Economics, Ateneo de Manila University.
    • Handle: RePEc:agy:dpaper:202304
    as

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    File URL: https://www.ateneo.edu/sites/default/files/2023-06/WP%202023-04.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    female employment; Covid-19; hard lockdown; motherhood penalty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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