Labor Markets: Happy Working Mothers

This paper analyses the effect of non‐participation and part‐time employment compared to full‐time employment on life satisfaction of mothers in Germany. Using data from the SOEP and applying fixed‐effects panel estimations, the results show that mothers in family‐related non‐participation and mothers employed part‐time are less satisfied than mothers employed full‐time. The direct and the indirect effect—due to foregone household income—each account for about half of the total effect. I attribute the found negative effects on the institutional and social conditions in Germany that prevent many mothers from reconciling (full‐time) employment with motherhood.

That is from the new published paper "Happy Working Mothers? Investigating the Effect of Maternal Employment on Life Satisfaction," by Eva Berger (Economica, January 2013).  The full paper is here.