Is Two Too Many? Parity and Mothers’ Labor Force Exit

• In Event: 2258 - The Policy Consequences of Work-Family Myths

Abstract

Many mothers leave the labor force during their childbearing years. Conventional wisdom and qualitative research suggest there may be a tipping point at the second child when women are particularly likely to leave. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, I find no evidence for a tipping point around the birth of second children. Women are instead most likely to leave the labor force when they are pregnant with their first child. Each subsequent child is associated with a smaller increase in the probability of exit. In addition, women who only ever have one child are less likely to leave the labor force than those who have more children. College-educated women who only have one child are especially unlikely to exit. I conclude with a discussion of why the tipping point hypothesis is so prevalent despite strong evidence against it.

Author

• Catherine Doren, University of Wisconsin-Madison