Household composition and mothers’ work outcomes in Peru and Brazil

• In Event: 2266 - Family Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 21. Wage Penalties, Premiums, and Work Outcomes

Abstract

Brazil and Peru are upper-middle income countries in South America, sharing important socioeconomic similarities. However, although both countries have high rates of maternal employment, residence with extended family members is much more common in Peru than in Brazil. Residence with kin can help to ease work-family conflict for women, as family members can provide care and domestic work that allows women go to work and spend more time in paid economic activities. Drawing on population-representative survey data for Brazil in Peru, we investigate the role of co-resident kin at explaining mothers’ labor outcomes in these two countries. We find a positive association between residence with adult kin and mothers’ work-related outcomes. Moreover, results also indicate that presence of a female kin member is a stronger predictor of mother’s work outcomes, yet connection between co-residence with kin and mother’s work outcomes does not vary by socioeconomic strata.

Authors

• Maria Carolina Mota Pereira Aragao, University of Texas at Austin

• Aida Villanueva, University of Texas at Austin