The relationship between maternal employment rate and social incentives in OECD countries

Women face some barriers to participation in workforce, such that many countries have a significant gap between men and women. OECD countries have implemented various solutions to the problem of encouraging participation and motherhood. This thesis examines data of twenty OECD countries with different types and duration of incentives provided to mothers to encourage entering into and staying in labor force.;The study suggests that availability of childcare facilities and paid leave can promote new mothers to enter labor force by reducing the burden of childcare. However, this relationship is not clear for mothers of older children. Unlike maternity leave and childcare support, job protected leaves tend to have an uncertain impact on mothers' connection to the labor force for all groups.