Professor Heather Joshi (Keynote Address at the ChildForum, NZ Early Childhood Research Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand, 6th May 2010).

The notion of gender specialisation in production and reproduction has underpinned the economics of the family, welfare state policies and reflects a long tradition. It shaped welfare states along the Breadwinner model, and reinforced the expectations of generations. By the Twenty-first century women’s role in productive activities has been approaching gender equality, with motherhood being increasingly combined with employment even when children are very young.

This leaves the question of whether women’s economic activities are being achieved at the expense of outcomes for children.

This talk reviews research looking at longitudinal data linking child development with the employment participation of their mothers during the child’s earliest years.

Please Login with your username and password to see the full article and read and add comments.
Access is only available to current members.

To renew your membership or for information about joining our fabulous Network and becoming a member click here