The Mommy Effect: Do Women Anticipate the Employment Effects of Motherhood? with Jessica Pan | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Women systematically underestimate the negative impact of motherhood on employment, leading to a decline in labor force participation after childbirth.

Transcript

SPEAKER 1: Welcome to the women and public policy program seminar series podcast at the Harvard Kennedy school. HANNAH RILEY BOWLES: I'm going to go ahead and get us started. So we have maximum time with our speaker today. I'm Hannah Riley Bowles from co-director here at WAPPP, where we are dedicated to supporting the research related to promoting ... Read More

Key Insights

• ✋ Women's labor force participation remains stable and high in the years before childbirth.
• 🥳 Employment rates decline significantly after the birth of the first child and show little recovery in the long term.
• 🧔‍♀️ Women underestimate the employment effects of motherhood, regardless of their education level or expectations.
• 🖤 Gender role attitudes become more conservative after childbirth, indicating a lack of anticipation of the employment effects.

Questions & Answers

Q: Do women with higher education levels experience smaller declines in employment after childbirth?

Yes, college-educated women do experience smaller declines. However, the main effect of childbirth on employment is still significant for them.

Q: Are women who have working mothers more prepared for the employment effects of motherhood?

Surprisingly, women who have working mothers still underestimate the employment effects of motherhood. There is no significant difference in their anticipation compared to those with non-working mothers.

Q: Do women who plan to work after childbirth have a more accurate anticipation of the employment effects?

No, women who plan to work also underestimate the employment effects of motherhood. Their anticipation is not aligned with the reality of declining labor force participation.

Q: How do these findings compare to other job shocks or uncertainties in the labor market?

It is unclear whether women's underestimation of the employment effects is unique to motherhood or a general difficulty in forecasting certain job outcomes. Further research is needed to make a direct comparison.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Women's labor force participation rates in the years before childbirth are stable and at a high level.

• The year of birth results in a significant decline in employment, with little evidence of recovery in the long term.

• Women tend to become more conservative in their gender role attitudes after childbirth, indicating a lack of anticipation of the employment effects.