PUBLIC POLICIES AND THE EMPLOYMENT OF MOTHERS - A CROSS-NATIONAL-STUDY

Objective. This research analyzes the effect of public child care and parental leave policy on the employment patterns of mothers with young children. Methods. The research design uses measurable variation in b oth policy and maternal employment patterns across fourteen industrial ized countries. The independent variable is national policy performanc e, as captured in two composite indexes of policy indicators. The depe ndent variable is the magnitude oi each country's ''child penalty'': t he regression-adjusted estimate of the decrease in mothers' employment probability given the presence of young children at home. Each countr y's child penalty is estimated using microdata from the Luxembourg Inc ome Study (LIS). Results. The results demonstrate a strong association between policy configurations and the employment patterns of mothers. Child penalties are greatest in those countries with the least-develo ped public policies that are aimed at supporting the employment of mot hers with young children. Conclusions. These findings suggest that gov ernment policies have influenced the employment decisions of married w omen with children, with particularly important consequences for the c ontinuity of labor force attachments. The results have implications fo r further research and for current public policy debates.