How Well Do Parents With Young Children Combine Work and Family Life? - NBER Working Paper No. 10247 - January 2004

Oct 3, 2026

Study analyzes trends in labor force involvement, household structure, and parental activities that can hinder how parents of young children balance work and family life. It evaluates whether employer policies ease or worsen these challenges and, because U.S. approaches differ sharply from those in many other industrialized countries, adds international comparisons. The paper then considers plausible sources and impacts of these cross-country policy differences on families.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Changes in Labor Supply, Household Composition, and Time Investments

Labor force participation trends for women

Implications for mothers with non-adult children

Spousal availability and single-parent households

Government policy and employment norms

NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES HOW WELL DO PARENTS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN COMBINE WORK AND FAMILY LIFE? Christopher J. Ruhm Working Paper 10247 [http://www.nber.org/papers/w10247](http://www.nber.org/papers/w10247) NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 January 2004 Research assistance from Stuart Spencer and financial support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD38521-01A1), the National Science Foundation (SES-9876511), and the Russell Sage Foundation Program on the Social Dimensions of Inequality is gratefully acknowledged. All opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.“How Well Do Parents With Young Children Combine Work and Family Life”, in Suzanne M. Bianchi, Lynne M. Casper, Kathleen E. Christensen, and Rosalind Berkowitz King (eds.) Work, Family, Health and Wellbeing, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, forthcoming. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Bureau of Economic Research. ©2004 by Christopher J. Ruhm. All rights reserved. Short sections of text, not to exceed two paragraphs, maybe quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source. How Well Do Parents With Young Children Combine Work and Family Life? Christopher J. Ruhm NBER Working Paper No. 10247 January 2004 JEL No. I0, J2 ABSTRACT This study examines trends in labor force involvement, household structure, and some activities that may complicate the efforts of parents with young children to balance work and family life. Next I consider whether employer policies mitigate or exacerbate these difficulties and, since the policies adopted in the United States diverge dramatically from those in many other industrialized countries, provide some international comparisons before speculating on possible sources and effects of the differences. Christopher J. Ruhm Department of Economics University of North Carolina at Greensboro P.O. Box 26165 Greensboro, NC 27402-6165 and NBER[c-ruhm@uncg.edu](c-ruhm@uncg.edu) How Well Do Parents With Young Children Combine Work and Family Life? The first years of life are a particularly important period for children (Carnegie Task Force on Meeting the Needs of Young Children, 1994; Council of Economic Advisers, 1997) . Recent research emphasizes the effects of early influences on brain development (Shore, 1997) and investments during young childhood are likely to be significant for the growth of learning skills, self-esteem and emotional security (Heckman, 2000) .1 Many parents face particular demands in the workplace during these same years as they attempt to establish or advance careers and meet the financial needs of their growing families. These pressures may be aggravated by job insecurity, increases in the pace of work, and other burdens such as the need to care for aging relatives. This study examines trends in labor force involvement, household structure, and some parental activities that may complicate efforts to balance work and family life. Next I consider whether employer policies mitigate or exacerbate these difficulties and, since the policies adopted in the United States diverge dramatically from those in many other industrialized countries, provide some international comparisons before speculating on possible sources and effects of the differences. 1. Changes in Labor Supply, Household Composition, and Time Investments The rapidly increasing involvement of women in the workplace in recent decades represents a well-known but nevertheless striking change. The labor force participation rate (LFPR) of females aged 16 and over rose from 43.3 to 60.1 percent between 1970 and 2001; conversely participation of males declined slightly during the same period (mainly due to earlier retirement), falling from 79.7 t

FAQs

What does the study investigate about parents with young children?

It examines trends in labor force involvement, household structure, and parental activities that can complicate balancing work and family life.

How does the paper evaluate employer policies?

It considers whether employer policies mitigate or exacerbate difficulties faced by parents while trying to balance work and family responsibilities.

Why are international comparisons included?

Because the policies adopted in the United States diverge dramatically from those in many other industrialized countries, the study provides comparisons and speculates on sources and effects of these differences.

Oct 3, 2026

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