Impact of child disability on parental employment and labour income: a quasi-experimental study of parents of children with disabilities in Norway

Abstract

Background Caring for children with disabilities has both immediate and long-term economic costs that affect the well-being of children, parents, and society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of child disability on parental employment and labour income by examining differences by parental gender, disability severity, and child age. Methods The study included children with disabilities born between 2004 to 2011 and their mothers (n = 139,189) and fathers (n = 134,457). Longitudinal data on employment, working hours and labour income was obtained from Statistics Norway, specifically the National Education Database, the Central Population Register and the Event History Database. A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences model was used to examine differences in employment, working hours and labour income. Results The results showed that caring for children with disabilities has a negative effect on mothers’ labour market participation, working hours and labour income. The more severe a child’s condition is, the more likely the mother was to work and earn less, or to stop working entirely. Additionally, the differences in labour market participation and income between mothers of children with and without disabilities increased as their children reached school age. Labour market participation, working hours, and labour income for fathers of children with less severe disabilities is comparable to those of fathers of children without disabilities. Caring for children with more severe disabilities reduces fathers’ labour income but has no effect on their working hours or labour market participation. Conclusion Policymakers and child welfare stakeholders should evaluate policy options and provide the necessary welfare support particularly to mothers caring for children with a more severe disability.

‘It's not really Michael who wears me out, it's the system’: The hidden work of coordinating care for a disabled child

“…The gendered aspect of the work could contribute to its hidden nature, as highlighted in previous research concerning the third shift or mental load of parenting (Ericsson et al, 2021; Hochschild, 1997; Smeby, 2017). Interpreted in light of the negative consequences of employment for women (Brekke and Nadim, 2016; Reisel et al, 2020; Wondemu et al, 2022), the mental load of coordination seems a likely contributor to the observed difficulties in staying employed, in addition to the more obvious direct and practical care tasks.…”

“…Being the parent of a disabled child is associated with a weaker connection to the labour market, especially for women. Having a disabled or chronically sick child reduces mothers’ working hours, income and labour market participation while increasing long-term sickness absence (Brekke and Nadim, 2016; Reisel et al, 2020; Wondemu et al, 2022). Furthermore, parenting a disabled child reinforces social disadvantage in that reduced parental employment is especially prominent for single parents and parents with low educational qualifications (Vinck and Van Lancker, 2019).…”

Early‐life impairments, chronic health conditions, and income mobility

“…To explore intergenerational income mobility, we operationalize individual's origin position by parental level of personal income at the birth year of that individual. Our measure stems from the year when individuals are born because some of the diagnosed conditions are already likely to affect parents' position in income distribution in the first years of life, particularly for mothers through various mechanisms such as reduced working hours, and greater health‐related expenses (Wondemu et al., 2022). For explicitly considering mothers in our research (Beller, 2009; Hout, 2018) and based on the insights from social learning theory on gendered intergenerational transmission of behaviours (Wainwright & Watts, 2021), in the main analyses, we describe income mobility separately between fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters.…”

Spirituality-based interventions for parents of children with disabilities: A systematic review.

“…Parents of children with disabilities, and especially mothers, are more likely to work fewer hours and to be employed at a lower rate than parents of children with typical development; therefore, being a parent of a child with disabilities is negatively associated with job income (Ejiri & Matsuzawa, 2019; Wondemu et al, 2022). In fact, the more severe the child’s disability, the less likely the parents are to be employed (Sellmaier et al, 2020; Wondemu et al, 2022).…”

“…Parents of children with disabilities, and especially mothers, are more likely to work fewer hours and to be employed at a lower rate than parents of children with typical development; therefore, being a parent of a child with disabilities is negatively associated with job income (Ejiri & Matsuzawa, 2019; Wondemu et al, 2022). In fact, the more severe the child’s disability, the less likely the parents are to be employed (Sellmaier et al, 2020; Wondemu et al, 2022). Those parents who are employed may experience challenges in achieving work–life balance; this challenge increases when children are more severely disabled, have behavioral issues, or are not in a reliable childcare framework (Brown & Clark, 2017).…”