Public Pre-Primary and Maternal Employment in Algeria: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
利用阿尔及利亚学前教育改革的自然实验，发现公立学前教育并未提高女性就业率，反而可能因半日制安排与就业难以协调而降低就业，尤其对核心家庭中的女性影响显著。
Abstract Globally, employment rates of women remain substantially below those of men. Since women disproportionately care for children, policies that offer care alternatives or lower the cost of care, should, theoretically, increase women's employment. This paper tests whether public pre-primary education can increase women's employment, using a natural experiment in Algeria. Education reforms in Algeria substantially expanded public pre-primary, targeting children aged five. The paper uses data from 2006 (early in the expansion), 2012, and 2018 (after pre-primary had substantially expanded). The analyses use a discontinuity in whether children are eligible for pre-primary, based on their birthdates, to identify the effect of pre-primary on women's employment. Increased pre-primary education did not increase and may have actually decreased women's employment. One potential explanation for these findings is the half-day schedule of pre-primary may be difficult to reconcile with employment. Negative effects are concentrated among women living in nuclear families, who lack alternative caregivers.