Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/227318 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 13791
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We provide causal evidence that children's school schedules contribute to the persistence of the gender pay gap between parents. Historically, French children have had no school on Wednesdays. In 2013, a reform reallocated some classes to Wednesday mornings. Exploiting variations in the application of this reform over time and across the age of the youngest child, we show that mothers are more likely to adopt a regular Monday-Friday full-time working schedule after the reform, while fathers' labor supply is unchanged. Consequently, the reform decreased the monthly gender pay gap by 6 percent, generating fiscal revenues that substantially outweigh its costs.
Subjects: 
school schedule
gender inequality
female labor supply
child penalty
JEL: 
H52
J13
J16
J22
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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