Self-employment and educational childcare time: Evidence from Latin America

Résumé

In this paper, we analyze the time employed and self-employed mothers devote to paid work and childcare activities, focusing on the activities aimed at increasing the human capital of children. To that end, we use time-use survey data for Mexico (2009), Peru (2010), Panama (2011), Ecuador (2012) and Colombia (2012). In our econometric results, we find that self-employed mothers in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, and Colombia devote more time to educational child care, compared to employed mothers. Furthermore, the level of education of the mother also influences behavioral patterns between self-employed and employed mothers in childcare. To the extent that differences in the time mothers spend with their children influence the present and future outcomes of those children, our results are important for policy reasons.