More mothers with young children are in paid work than in the past. There is a long-running
debate on possible negative effects of maternal employment on child development. For the
first time, this paper presents an initial comparative analysis of longitudinal data on maternal
employment patterns after birth on child cognitive and behavioural development. The paper
examines data of five OECD countries with different types and intensity of support provided
to families to reconcile work and family life. The evidence suggests that a return to paid
work by mothers within six months after childbirth may have negative effects on child
outcomes, particularly on cognitive development, but the effects are small and not
universally observed. Other factors such as family income, parental education and quality of
interaction with children have greater influences on child development than early maternal
employment per se.
