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The Impact of Affordable Day Care on Women’s Work in a Slum Settlement of Nairobi

Tue, August 15, 12:30 to 2:10pm, Palais des congrès de Montréal, Floor: Level 5, 513B

Abstract

In most parts of the world women shoulder the primary responsibilities associated with caring for their young children. While much of this work goes unrecognized, the time and energy women devote to this task may restrict their participation in the paid labor force. Although women around the globe face the challenge of simultaneously managing their child care obligations and the demands of paid employment, for women living in poor, urban settings these difficulties may be particularly acute. This study was designed to rigorously test whether expanding access to subsidized and better quality day care to mothers living in a slum community in Nairobi would increase their a) day care utilization, b) engagement with paid activities, and c) earnings. Using an RCT study design which engaged 1,222 mothers with children aged 1 to 3 (inclusive), our VERY PRELIMINARY findings suggest that offering subsidized day care increased women’s overall labor force participation by 7 percentage points. Gains in employment were especially concentrated among mothers who were unemployed at baseline and who sent their children to quality-improved day cares. Mothers who received vouchers for day care also earned on average more than 40% more income with larger returns experienced by mothers whose children attended quality-improved facilities. Our study is amongst the first to produce rigorous evidence that providing women in resource poor settings with subsidized, quality child care is an effective strategy to improve their labor market outcomes.

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