Mikrosimulationsstudie über das Arbeitsangebotsverhalten von Müttern mit kleinen Kindern

There is a wide discussion about female labour supply and childcare institutions in OECD countries and in Austria. The OECD states that the lack of affordable childcare slots is a major barrier for women in participating in the labour market. The diploma thesis analyses the labour supply behaviour of Austrian mothers with young children. It is assumed that childcare affordability and availability determine the labour supply decisions of mothers with young children. Based on a tax-benefit-microsimulation model a labour supply model is estimated and the effects of an enlargement in the supply of childcare are determined. The applied tax-benefit-model is the microsimulation model of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna. The results of the labour supply model show that a 1 percent increase in wages increases the mothers participation rates by 0.12 percentage points and raises hours by 0.47 percent. The implementation of 50.000 additional fulltime child care slots raises the participation rate of mothers with young children by 0.87 percentage points, whereas hours increase by 4,54 percent.