Childcare and Participation at Work in North-East Italy. Why Do Italian and Foreign Mothers Behave Differently?

University of Padua, Department of Statistical Sciences Working Paper Series, N.8

32 Pages Posted: 20 Jun 2014

See all articles by Anna Giraldo

Anna Giraldo

University of Padova, Department of Statistical Sciences

Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna

University of Padua - Department of Statistical Sciences

Enrico Rettore

University of Padua; IRVAPP

Date Written: June 19, 2014

Abstract

This paper examines two of the decision-making processes following the birth of a child: whether a working mother should continue with her job, and whether the couple should provide the child with formal childcare. Focusing on Padova and its district (North-East Italy), differences in the strategies of Italian and foreign mothers are discussed, controlling for socio-economic status, opinions on women's roles, and family structure, according to the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. Six to thirty-six months after the birth of a child, the proportion of foreign mothers who are not employed is more than double that of Italian mothers (51% vs. 21%). In addition, 25% of Italian women entrust their children to the care of their parents and in-laws, vs. only 13% of foreign women. Although there are differences in the effects of individual characteristics on participation at work across the two groups, what matters most is the different composition of the Italian and foreign women's groups, especially as regards education, partners’ characteristics and attitudes towards the job market and motherhood. As regards the maximum price a couple is willing to pay for formal childcare, intended to represent parents’ preferences for formal childcare, differences between the two groups are also mainly explained by differences in composition.

Keywords: participation at work, childcare, foreign and Italian mothers, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition

JEL Classification: J13, J15, J21

Suggested Citation

Giraldo, Anna and Dalla Zuanna, Gianpiero and Rettore, Enrico, Childcare and Participation at Work in North-East Italy. Why Do Italian and Foreign Mothers Behave Differently? (June 19, 2014). University of Padua, Department of Statistical Sciences Working Paper Series, N.8, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2456629 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2456629

Anna Giraldo (Contact Author)

University of Padova, Department of Statistical Sciences ( email )

via C.Battisti 241
Padova, Padova 35121
Italy

Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna

University of Padua - Department of Statistical Sciences ( email )

Via Battisti, 241
Padova, 35121
Italy

Enrico Rettore

University of Padua ( email )

Via Verdi 26
Trento, 28122
Italy
+39 0461 281316 (Phone)

IRVAPP ( email )

Via Santa Croce 77
Trento, I-38122
Italy

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