Organizations as Equalizers? Employer-provided Childcare, Working Mothers' Labor Supply, and the Limits of Family-based Networks

• In Event: 2168 - Gender and Work

Abstract

Reconciling the competing demands of work and family life remains a persistent challenge for workers around the world. Yet, this burden is not shared equally. Women shoulder disproportionate family responsibilities, including caregiving, which can impact their employment outcomes. In this article, we ask whether workplace policies can improve the labor supply of disadvantaged women. First, we use a quasi-experimental research design to gain causal empirical traction on how an organizational-level work-family policy intervention – employer-sponsored childcare – affects women’s daily attendance in an Indian garment factory. Second, we explore heterogeneity in this effect by the nature of women’s family-based network support. Our results indicate that there is a strong, positive effect of employer-provided childcare on women’s daily attendance at work. Additionally, we find that the positive effects of employer-sponsored childcare are concentrated among women whose family-based networks may be less likely to provide informal childcare support, indicating that organizational policies can level the playing field and promote equality for these women. Together, these findings hold theoretical insights for understanding the role of organizational policies in reducing social inequality, while providing novel evidence about an intervention that can bolster economic security and reduce poverty in the Global South by improving women’s employment outcomes.

Authors

• David Pedulla, Stanford University

• Aruna Ranganathan, Stanford University