Maternal Employment and Child Development

This study looks at maternal employment during the first year of life and child well-being, including cognitive and behavioral outcomes of children whose mothers work full-time, compared to those who work part-time or postpone working. The research also explores the ways in which maternal work intersects with child care, maternal mental health, and maternal parenting behavior.

This project uses several sources of data, including the National Longitudinal Study of Youth – Child Supplement, the NICHD Early Childhood Study, the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics – Child Supplement. The research is being conducted by NCCF co-director Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D., in collaboration with Jane Waldfogel, professor at the School of Social Work, Columbia University, and Wen-Jui Han, professor at the Silver School of Social Work, NYU.

Funding Sources: William T. Grant Foundation; The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); and the NICHD Family and Child Well-Being Research Network.

Contact: Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D.