Abstract
This study aims to analyze the relationship between children’s mental illness and mother’s labor supply in Brazil. The analysis stratified results by the degree of limitation resulting from the disability and by type of syndromes or developmental disorders. Data come from the National Health Survey and Logit and Tobit econometric models were used in the estimations. Results suggest an average reduction of 17 percentage points in the probability of mother’s work if they raise a child with intellectual disability and, if disability leads to severe limitation, the reduction may reach 25 percentage points. We also find that the child’s intellectual disability negatively and significantly affects the number of weekly working hours for employed mothers, with an average reduction of 8.9 hours and, in cases of severe limitation, 11,2 hours. These results may have important implications for the formulation of public policies, since the child's intellectual disability proves to be a relevant obstacle to the participation of mothers in the labor market.
Key words
Mothers’ labor supply; Children with intellectual disability; Discrete choice model; Censored regression model