Child care and employment turnover

Abstract

This paper explores how the responsibilityof caring for children affects employment stability by studying the relationship betweenthe characteristics and stability of substitute caregivers and the risk of leaving of job. Thedata come from the 1990 National Child Care Survey (NCCS), a nationally representative surveyof households with children under age 13 conducted in late 1989 and early 1990, and AProfile of Child Care Settings (PCS), a nationally representative survey of center-based programsand licensed family day care homes in the U.S., conducted at the same time and in the same 144counties. The results show that the availability of care affects the job stability of all employedmothers. Other effects differ by maternal wage. The cost of care affects the employment exits ofmoderate-wage mothers (who earn $6 to $8 per hour), the stability of care affects the employmentexits of moderate- and high-wage mothers, and the flexibility of care affects the employmentexits of low-wage mothers. These results are discussed in the context of current public policies.