Is There a Child Penalty in South Korea? [Draft]
In many countries, the child penalty, which is the loss in earnings associated with childbirth, is large and persistent for mothers. In this study, I estimate the effect of a first birth on the labor market outcomes in South Korea (hereafter Korea) over time using a method proposed by Kleven, Landais, and Søgaard (2019b). First, I find that Korean women experience a substantial penalty in earnings with a first childbirth compared to women in other countries. Second, while the child penalty in other countries comes from both the intensive and extensive margins, the penalty for Korean women arises almost exclusively on the extensive margin. Third, I find a substantial drop in earnings for mothers even before the child is born. Finally, to shed light on the source of the child penalty, I examine several of its correlates, including marriage, the lack of work benefits, and opportunity costs.
Presented:
2023: Population Research Center FAMDEM
2021: KWEN Job Market Jamboree, PAA
2020: APPAM, SEA, MSU Applied Economics Seminar, MSU Brownbag Seminar