Children and Maternal Migration: Evidence from Exogenous Variations in Family Size

Sarma, Vengadeshvaran and Parinduri, Rasyad (2014): Children and Maternal Migration: Evidence from Exogenous Variations in Family Size.

Abstract

Both theoretically and empirically, childbearing decreases labour supply of females, but few papers examine the effect of children on whether women emigrate to work. Using exogenous variations in family size induced by parents’ preferences for mixed sibling-sex composition in instrumental variable estimations, we find that, in Sri Lanka where most migrants are women and mothers, children decrease labour participation of females in the domestic market but they increase the likelihood of females working abroad.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: maternal migration, childbearing, Sri Lanka
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F2 - International Factor Movements and International Business > F22 - International Migration; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J13 - Fertility ; Family Planning ; Child Care ; Children ; Youth; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J22 - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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