MENS PARTICIPATION IN CHILD-CARE AND WOMENS WORK ATTACHMENT

Who cares for children is an important determinant of women's work effort and their potential earnings. Although research on child care has grown dramatically over the last decade, previous studies have ignored the effects of child-care arrangements on female employment. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation, a 1985 sample of employed mothers of preschool-age children was selected and determinants of quitting work by 1986 were examined. Women who relied on their husbands for child-care supervision were found to be more likely to quit work than women in the reference category, in addition, this effect was stronger among low-wage women. The need for additional work on the relation between child care and the female labor supply is examined.