We study the determinants of whether mothers of preschool-aged children use market child care versus care by relatives to assess the importance of economics versus preferences. The evidence suggests that employed mothers turn to relatives for child care partly out of preference, not just because relatives are inexpensive. Public policies that encourage the use of relatives for child care might therefore increase parental satisfaction and quality of care. The analysis finds substantially similar results for African American and other women, but the results for employed mothers differ from those for nonemployed women, who appear to use child care primarily to enhance child development.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Berk, R. (1983). An introduction to sample selection bias in sociological data. American Sociological Review, 48, 386-398.
2.
Blau, D. M. , & Robins, P. K. (1988). Child-care costs and family labor supply. Review of Economics and Statistics, 70, 374-381.
3.
Blau, D. M. , & Robins, P. K. (1990, May). Child care demand and labor supply of young mothers over time. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
4.
Christian, P. B. (1990, May). Determinants of child care arrangements: Shift work as a type of child care. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
5.
Dawson, D. A. (1990). Child care arrangements: Health of our nation's children, United States, 1988. National Center for Health Statistics Advance Data, October 1, Number 187.
6.
Floge, L. (1985). The dynamics of child-care use and some implications for women's employment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 143-154.
7.
Hofferth, S. L. , & Brayfield, A. A. (1991, March). Making time for children: Family decisions about employment and child care. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, Washington, D.C.
8.
Lehrer, E. L. (1983). Determinants of child care mode choice: An economic perspective. Social Science Research, 12, 69-80.
9.
Lehrer, E. L. (1989). Preschoolers with working mothers: An analysis of the determinants of child care arrangements. Journal of Population Economics, 1, 251-268.
10.
Lehrer, E. L. , & Kawasaki, S. (1985). Child care arrangements and fertility: An analysis of two-earner households. Demography, 22, 499-513.
11.
Leibowitz, A. , Waite, L. J., & Witsberger, C.1988. Child care for preschoolers: Differences by child's age. Demography, 25, 205-220.
12.
Mason, K. O. , & Kuhlthau, K. (1989). Determinants of child care ideals among mothers of preschool-aged children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 593-603.
13.
Mason, K. O. , & Kuhlthau, K. (1992). The perceived impact of child care costs on women's labor supply and fertility. Demography, 29, 523-543.
14.
Parish, W. L. , Hao, L, & Hogan, D. P. (1991). Family support networks, welfare, and work among young mothers. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 203-215.
15.
Presser, H. B. (1989). Some economic complexities of child care provided by grandmothers. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 581-591.
