Infant Health and the Labor Supply of Mothers
利用菲律宾数据，研究母亲就业与婴儿喂养及健康的关系，发现母亲工资和食品价格影响劳动供给与婴儿健康，但劳动供给本身对健康直接影响不大。
This study examines the association between maternal employment and infant feeding and the health of children and the role of prices wages and other exogenous factors in influencing the association in the Philippines. Data were obtained from the 1983-86 Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey of 2868 women who were permanent residents of the sample areas and had given birth to a single live child in metro Cebu during 1983-84. Analysis is based on the conceptual framework in which infant feeding and labor supply are jointly chosen to maximize the utility subject to time budget and health production function constraints. Findings indicate that the labor supply of the mother had little direct effect on infant health when prices wages and other exogenous factors are taken into account. Maternal wage rates and prices of key foods affected labor supply and infant feeding and care. Women with better wage offers were more likely to work and to have healthier infants. Maternal labor supply only had statistically significant effects on infant health when occupation was accounted for. It is suggested that women in developing countries should not be discouraged from working. Womens earnings increase their ability to pay for food and breast milk substitutes that contribute to healthy infants. The authors suggest that other health outcomes such as infant morbidity and mortality could be examined or substitutions for other feeding patterns and child care options.