Work

New Fathers' Labor Supply: Does Child Health Matter?*

Year: 2005

Type: article

Abstract: Objective. We estimate the effect of poor child health on the labor supply of fathers post‐welfare reform, using a national sample of mostly unwed parents and their children—a group at high risk of living in poverty. Method. We control for a rich set of covariates, include state fixed effects, and test for the endogeneity of child health by estimating bivariate probit models. Results. We find that having a young child in poor health reduces the father's probability of being employed by four percentage points. The effect appears to be strongest among fathers who cohabit with, but are not married to, the child's mother. Conclusion. The results suggest a potential source by which young children with serious health problems may receive lower levels of health investment than their healthier peers—their fathers' reduced likelihood of being employed.

Source: Social Science Quarterly

DOI: 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00352.x

Authors: Kelly Noonan, Nancy E. Reichman, Hope Corman

Institutions: National Bureau of Economic Research, Rider University, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth, No poverty

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: University of Michigan, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development