Content area
Full text
Rev Econ Household (2017) 15:597620
DOI 10.1007/s11150-014-9251-z
Peter Burton Kelly Chen Lynn Lethbridge
Shelley Phipps
Received: 16 September 2013 / Accepted: 14 May 2014 / Published online: 30 May 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract We ask how the paid work of Canadian married mothers and fathers is affected when a child has a physical/mental condition or health problem that leads to restrictions in daily activities. Using the Statistics Canada National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, we nd that married mothers of children with disabilities are less likely to engage in paid work and/or work fewer paid hours per week. No statistically signicant changes in paid work participation or hours are apparent for fathers of the same children. We nd, moreover, evidence that the degree of specialization within families increases when there is a child with a disability. These responses are consistent with traditional gender roles within families, and may make sense as a household coping strategy. However, such a division of labor may generate economic vulnerability for mothers compared to fathers.
P. Burton S. Phipps
Department of Economics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3JH, Canada e-mail: [email protected]
S. Phippse-mail: [email protected]
K. Chen (&)
Digonex Technologies Inc., 150 West Market Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USA e-mail: [email protected]
L. Lethbridge
Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, 5790 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H 1V7, Canadae-mail: [email protected]
S. Phipps
Department of Economics, Dalhousie University and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Halifax, NS, Canada
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s11150-014-9251-z&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s11150-014-9251-z&domain=pdf
Web End = Child health and parental paid work
123
598 P. Burton et al.
Keywords Child disability Maternal labor force participation Within-
household Intra-household Family Gender
JEL Classication I14 J14 J16
1 Introduction
In this paper, we ask how the paid work of Canadian married1 mothers and fathers is affected when a child has a physical/mental condition or health problem that leads to an activity limitation.2 This is an important question given both the growth in the number of children living at home with disabilities3 and the growth in the number of married-couple families in which both mother and father are engaged in paid work. Although demands placed upon families vary with the nature and severity of the childs health problem, it is often...