The effects of early maternal employment on later cognitive and behavioral outcomes

Han Wen-Jui, Jane Waldfogel, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article investigates the long-term impact of early maternal employment on children's cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Non-Hispanic White and African American children aged 3 to 4 in the 1986 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were followed longitudinally to see whether the effects that prior studies found at age 3 to 4 persist into the school-age years (ages 7 to 8) or whether those effects attenuate over time. The empirical results indicate that maternal employment in the 1st year of a child's life has significant negative effects on White children's cognitive outcomes. These effects persist to ages 7 or 8 for some children but not for others. We also found some negative effects of maternal employment in the 1st year on behavioral problems as assessed at age 7 or 8, but again these effects are found only for White children.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)336-354
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Marriage and Family
Volume63
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2001

Keywords

  • Behavioral outcomes
  • Child's cognitive outcomes
  • Early maternal employment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Anthropology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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