Outsourcing Meals

Effects of Maternal Work on Children’s School Meal Participation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID10549661
AutoresAshlesha Datar (0000-0001-8526-8804, RAND Corporation, autor correspondente), Nancy Nicosia (RAND Corporation)
Ano2012
Volume86
Fascículo4
Páginas565-593
Data de publicação2012-12-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSocial Service Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0037-7961 • E-ISSN: 1537-5404
EditoraUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/668645
OpenAlexW2066308038
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas26

Maternal work may affect how mothers allocate time toward activities related to children’s diet and overall well-being. One potential consequence is that mothers may outsource meal preparation. In particular, school meals might replace brown-bag meals because they are subsidized, convenient, and nutritionally regulated. This study examines whether increases in maternal work influence children’s school breakfast and lunch participation, addressing the endogeneity of maternal work using local labor market indicators as instrumental variables. Results suggest that children whose mothers work are more likely to participate in school lunch. However, these children are less likely to participate in school breakfast and more likely to eat breakfast at home with family than are children of nonworking women. These results are qualitatively similar across full- and part-time work status and various socioeconomic groups, although the magnitudes vary. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential mechanisms underlying the findings and their policy implications

Affect (linguistics · Demographic economics · Developmental psychology · Economics · Endogeneity · Environmental health · Instrumental variable · Meal · Socioeconomic status · Subsidy · Work (physics · Work hours · Employment and Welfare Studies · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Medicine · Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges