Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity: A European Perspective

Arbeitspapier

The substantial increase in female employment rates in Europe over the past two decades has often been linked in political and public rhetoric to negative effects on child development, including obesity. We analyse this association between maternal employment and childhood obesity using rich objective reports of various anthropometric and other measures of fatness from the IDEFICS study of children aged 2-9 in 16 regions of eight European countries. Based on such data as accelerometer measures and information from nutritional diaries, we also investigate the effects of maternal employment on obesity's main drivers: calorie intake and physical activity. Our analysis provides little evidence for any association between maternal employment and childhood obesity, diet or physical activity.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 7371

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health Behavior ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply
• Subject: maternal employment ; children ; obesity ; Europe ; Mütter ; Weibliche Arbeitskräfte ; Kinder ; Körpergewicht ; EU-Staaten

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Gwozdz, Wencke ; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso ; Reisch, Lucia A. ; Ahrens, Wolfgang ; De Henauw, Stefaan ; Eiben, Gabriele ; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M. ; Hadjigeorgiou, Charalampos ; Kovács, Eva ; Lauria, Fabio ; Veidebaum, Toomas ; Williams, Garrath ; Bammann, Karin
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2013

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/80618
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET