Publicly Subsidized Childcare and the Labor Force Participation Rates of Men and Women: Evidence From OECD

Abstract

This paper investigates the association between public spending on childcare and the labor force participation rates of both women and men, considering both full-time and part-time employment in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. We include both genders in the study to reveal the potential imbalances in the impact of the public childcare expenditure on the labor market across gender lines. The findings of this paper align with previous research, indicating that policies promoting part-time work and parental leave benefits increase part-time employment for both females and males. The results highlight that publicly subsidized childcare, when combined with other family-friendly programs, represents an effective policy approach for promoting male and female employment in potentially high-skilled positions.