Effects of Husband’s Education and Family Structure on Labor Force Participation and Married Japanese Women’s Earnings

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of a husband’s education, family structure, co-residence with parents or in-laws, and childcare, on labor supply and earnings among married Japanese women between 2000 and 2002. Whereas educated husbands reduce the labor supply of wives, they tend to improve productivity and earnings of the wives once they participate in the labor market. Moreover, our analysis provides evidence of specific division of labor within a household, through which a wife’s mother or mother-in-law helps her participate in the labor market, while her father or father-in-law does not affect her labor participation. ( 95 words)Labor force participation, Women's earnings, Education