INVESTING IN CHILDREN OF UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The data utilized in this paper comes from the Fragile Families Child and Wellbeing Study, which consists of a cohort of over 4700 families of lower socioeconomic status in the United States. The study administers surveys towards the family, which provides information on the mothers, fathers, and children of underprivileged households in a longitudinal study over the last twenty years. I use this data to determine whether there are associations between maternal employment and child development. I utilize several different measures of employment in the year after the child’s birth and determine whether there are any associations between maternal employment and behavioral and cognitive outcomes when the child is three, five, and nine years of age. The point of my study is to observe whether maternal employment provides a positive investment in the child’s development. Although statistically significant associations are observed, most associations are insignificant between maternal employment and child development, suggesting no essential conclusions can be reached and more research must be done on the matter.