How Public Investments in Childcare Mitigate Childbirth Effects on Employment Transitions by Skill Level in Europe

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Plavgo, Ilze
• 刊物名称: REGULATION & GOVERNANCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1748-5983; 1748-5991
• DOI: 10.1111/rego.70116
• 发表日期: 2026-04
• 页码: 635-651
• 关键词: childbirth effect; employment transitions; Europe; public childcare; social investments; WORK-FAMILY POLICIES; social investment; womens employment; united-kingdom; motherhood; GENDER; PERSPECTIVE; Penalty; determinants; LIFECOURSE

摘要

Public investments in childcare generally improve parents' employment chances, yet evidence on their magnitude, cross-national variation, and social distribution remains mixed. This study examines how public spending on early childhood education and care (ECEC) moderates post-childbirth employment attachment across Europe. Using longitudinal EU-SILC microdata for 26 countries (2003-2020) combined with social policy indicators, multilevel mixed-effects models trace within-person employment changes before and 2 years after childbirth by gender, skill level, and country context. Results show that childbirth substantially reduces women's employment probabilities, but higher public ECEC investment mitigates this decline by supporting re-entry into employment. At above-average spending levels, employment returns to pre-childbirth levels within 2 years, whereas recovery remains limited where ECEC investments are lower. The pattern holds across skill groups and welfare regimes, except in the Nordic countries, where low-skilled mothers benefit more. Findings underscore the role of ECEC investment in sustaining labor force participation in Europe.