Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City
This study aims to improve the understanding of the barriers and enabling factors determining the demand for childcare in Mexico City. The study is based on focus group discussions and individual in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers (marrie...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/770331603735024640/Complex-Decisions-between-Care-and-Paid-Work-A-Qualitative-Study-on-the-Demand-for-Childcare-Services-in-Mexico-City http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34685 |
| id |
okr-10986-34685 |
|---|---|
| recordtype |
oai_dc |
| spelling |
okr-10986-346852022-09-20T00:12:05Z Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City Muller, Miriam Jaen, Martha CHILDCARE FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION GENDER UNPAID WORK UNPAID FAMILY WORKER POVERTY INEQUALITY LABOR POLICY This study aims to improve the understanding of the barriers and enabling factors determining the demand for childcare in Mexico City. The study is based on focus group discussions and individual in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers (married or living in a union) of children ages zero to six years. The findings of this qualitative analysis confirm that for parents in Mexico City, decisions in favor of or against the use of childcare are based on: (1) the interplay between women's aspirations, the role of work in their lives, and the additional support they have; and (2) their perceptions of the care available, including convenience, overall quality, perceived opportunities for positive child development, and financial and non-financial costs (safety and risks to the child’s well-being). The findings suggest that significant differences exist between women with higher education and those with lower levels of education living in different parts of the city (and from different socioeconomic backgrounds: middle-class vis-a-vis vulnerable women). The observed gaps are due to differences in their ability to make informed choices, their aspirations and work opportunities, the alternative support options available to them, and their ability to adapt to the childcare supply. These results highlight the relevance of: (1) promoting a more balanced distribution of childcare responsibilities between men and women; (2) communicating more transparently the benefits of using childcare services and the measures taken to ensure the safety and positive development of children; and (3) adapting the childcare centers' functioning to the needs of working parents. 2020-10-29T13:21:57Z 2020-10-29T13:21:57Z 2020-10 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/770331603735024640/Complex-Decisions-between-Care-and-Paid-Work-A-Qualitative-Study-on-the-Demand-for-Childcare-Services-in-Mexico-City http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34685 English Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9452 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Latin America & Caribbean Mexico |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
CHILDCARE FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION GENDER UNPAID WORK UNPAID FAMILY WORKER POVERTY INEQUALITY LABOR POLICY |
| spellingShingle |
CHILDCARE FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION GENDER UNPAID WORK UNPAID FAMILY WORKER POVERTY INEQUALITY LABOR POLICY Muller, Miriam Jaen, Martha Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| geographic_facet |
Latin America & Caribbean Mexico |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9452 |
| description |
This study aims to improve the
understanding of the barriers and enabling factors
determining the demand for childcare in Mexico City. The
study is based on focus group discussions and individual
in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers (married or
living in a union) of children ages zero to six years. The
findings of this qualitative analysis confirm that for
parents in Mexico City, decisions in favor of or against the
use of childcare are based on: (1) the interplay between
women's aspirations, the role of work in their lives,
and the additional support they have; and (2) their
perceptions of the care available, including convenience,
overall quality, perceived opportunities for positive child
development, and financial and non-financial costs (safety
and risks to the child’s well-being). The findings suggest
that significant differences exist between women with higher
education and those with lower levels of education living in
different parts of the city (and from different
socioeconomic backgrounds: middle-class vis-a-vis vulnerable
women). The observed gaps are due to differences in their
ability to make informed choices, their aspirations and work
opportunities, the alternative support options available to
them, and their ability to adapt to the childcare supply.
These results highlight the relevance of: (1) promoting a
more balanced distribution of childcare responsibilities
between men and women; (2) communicating more transparently
the benefits of using childcare services and the measures
taken to ensure the safety and positive development of
children; and (3) adapting the childcare centers'
functioning to the needs of working parents. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Muller, Miriam Jaen, Martha |
| author_facet |
Muller, Miriam Jaen, Martha |
| author_sort |
Muller, Miriam |
| title |
Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| title_short |
Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| title_full |
Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| title_fullStr |
Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for Childcare Services in Mexico City |
| title_sort |
complex decisions between care and paid work : a qualitative study on the demand for childcare services in mexico city |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/770331603735024640/Complex-Decisions-between-Care-and-Paid-Work-A-Qualitative-Study-on-the-Demand-for-Childcare-Services-in-Mexico-City http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34685 |
| _version_ |
1764481429996044288 |