Private Childcare and Employment Options

Abstract

In this chapter I examine the extent to which the return to work for mothers is affected by their proximity to various resources, facilities, and opportunities at the sub-regional level. Geocoded data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS, waves 1–4, 2005–2014) are matched with geocoded data on childcare provision from administrative data, neighborhood level data on unemployment levels, and the proximity of individual’s parents and other relatives who might act as childcare alternatives. The rich spatial data combined with a longitudinal approach enables the testing of a geographical perspective to women’s employment. Crucially, the analysis looks at whether nurseries, childminders, or a mix of childcare institutions are most effective in supporting female employment. Given developments in Dutch childcare policy over the period under study, the analysis examines important policy considerations, especially the need to identify and address childcare deserts. The relationship between childcare supply and female employment is a pressing policy issue in many developed countries.