RESEARCH ARTICLE
Breastfeeding and the return to work after childbirth of new mothers: Evidence from a baby formula scare
Limor Hatsor,
Ity Shurtz,
Limor Hatsor
Department of Business Administration, Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Ity Shurtz
Department of Economics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 Israel
Correspondence
Ity Shurtz, Department of Economics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorLimor Hatsor,
Ity Shurtz,
Limor Hatsor
Department of Business Administration, Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Ity Shurtz
Department of Economics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 Israel
Correspondence
Ity Shurtz, Department of Economics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
We use a baby formula “food scare” in Israel in 2003 as a plausible natural experiment to study the causal relationship between breastfeeding and mothers’ return to work after childbirth. Analysis of administrative data covering the universe of births in the country shows that first-time mothers who gave birth shortly after the scare delayed their return to work. Their average months worked in the first 6 months after childbirth fell by about 11% relative to their counterparts in the previous year. Data from a major medical equipment lender in Israel indicates an increased likelihood of borrowing milk pumps, suggesting that the delay in returning to work was driven by an increase in breastfeeding. The results indicate that despite developments in technology and policy changes in recent decades, mothers still trade off work for the breastfeeding of their children.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
This paper uses two confidential datasets:
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