Does mother’s education matter for childcare?

A comparative study of nuclear and multigenerational households in India

Abstract

Parent’s allocation of time on childcare is a crucial aspect of parenting as the amount and quality of time devoted to childcare have a long-lasting impact on children’s human capital. Childcare includes activities such as feeding, bathing, playing, teaching, and other forms of care that are essential for a child's growth and development. Mothers occupy a centre stage in child rearing as society expects women to contribute in domestic activities more than men (Forbes et.al, 2020) which affects women’s participation in the labour market (Becker, 1985). Several factors can influence a mother's time use on childcare, such as her marital status, level of education, household structure, income, culture, norms, and characteristics of her children. For instance, a mother's time use may vary depending on whether she is married, divorced, never-married, or cohabiting, as well as the availability and quality of support from her spouse or partner. Additionally, a mother's level of education may affect her pence and opportunities for time use on childcare. Similarly, living in a nuclear or multigenerational household can also impact a mother's time use, depending on the support available from other family members. Finally, the needs and characteristics of a mother's children can influence her time use, depending on their developmental stages and cultural values surrounding childrearing and gender roles (Pepin et al., 2018).