Year of Publication

2018

College

Martin School of Public Policy and Administration

Date Available

10-10-2018

Executive Summary

Since 2012 the Dominican education authorities have been transitioning the schools from a four-hour to an eight-hour per day schedule. As time spent in school is a proxy of childcare, the extension translates into a childcare cost reduction for participating families. Considering the long-studied relationship between childcare costs and mothers’ labor decisions, this study explores the effect of the implementation of the new school schedule on female labor supply both to the extensive and to the intensive margins in the Dominican Republic. Results suggest higher shares of students attending the new schedule within a municipal district are associated with a significant increase in the labor supply to the intensive and extensive margin.

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