Can early public childcare reduce child penalties? Evidence from Germany.

Autor/inn/en	Duletzki, Lisa-Marie; Lim, Nayeon
Titel	Can early public childcare reduce child penalties? Evidence from Germany.
Quelle	In: Journal of public economics, (2026) 258, Art. 10565, 16 S. PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1879-2316
DOI	10.1016/j.jpubeco.2026.105651
Schlagwörter	Mutter; Familienpolitik; Kinderförderungsgesetz; Kinderbetreuung; Kindertagesstätte; Frühpädagogik; Erfolgskontrolle; Reformpolitik; Angebotsentwicklung; Beschäftigungseffekt; Einkommenseffekt; Berufsbiografie; Berufsrückkehr; Berufsverlauf; Auswirkung; IAB-Betriebs-Historik-Panel; Deutschland
Abstract	"This paper studies the effects of public childcare expansion for children under age three in Germany on mothers'child penalties. Exploiting county-level variation in the expansion, we find that a 20-percentage-point increase in childcare coverage rate reduces earnings penalties by 4.5 percentage points. This accounts for about 56% of the total 8-percentage-point decline in earnings penalties over the reform period. Early childcare increases employment and days worked, especially in full-time and non-marginal positions. It also raises daily wages and increases the likelihood that mothers work in higher-paying firms and occupations. These effects persist beyond the early childcare eligibility period. We further identify two key contextual factors explaining the positive effects of early childcare: the initial level of child penalties and reliance on informal care. In settings with high child penalties and limited alternatives, early public childcare can yield substantial lasting benefits for mothers' careers." The study refers to the period 2001-2021 (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.).
Erfasst von	Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Nürnberg
Update	2026/4