Search Results

Author: Lim, Katherine
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Lim, Katherine
Essays on Female Self-Employment
Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Public Policy and Economics, University of Michigan, 2016
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Earnings; Maternal Employment; Self-Employed Workers; Work Hours/Schedule

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This dissertation explores the determinants and consequences of self-employment among American women. In the first essay, I quantify the value of self-employment as a flexible work alternative for mothers with young children and estimate the impact of self-employment experience on women's future employment and earnings. Using data from the NLSY79, I incorporate self-employment into a life-cycle model of married women's fertility and employment decisions. I find that mothers with preschool-aged children value the package of flexible amenities in self-employment at around $7,400 annually. My model suggests that this additional flexibility encourages mothers to switch from wage and salary employment to self-employment, which lowers their lifetime earnings. Overall, the findings suggest that workplace flexibility is highly valued by mothers and that it is an important driver of their fertility and employment decisions.
Bibliography Citation
Lim, Katherine. Essays on Female Self-Employment. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Public Policy and Economics, University of Michigan, 2016.
2. Lim, Katherine
Self-Employment, Workplace Flexibility, and Maternal Labor Supply: A Life-Cycle Model
Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Earnings; Maternal Employment; Self-Employed Workers; Work Hours/Schedule

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This paper quantifies the value of self-employment as a flexible work alternative for mothers with young children. On average, self-employed women have more control over their work schedule, hours and location than wage and salary employed women. I incorporate self-employment into a life-cycle model of married women's fertility and employment decisions to estimate the value of self-employment flexibility for mothers using the NLSY79. I find that mothers with preschool aged children value the package of flexible amenities in self-employment at $7,000 annually, which represents 20% of their average wage and salary earnings. A partial equilibrium counterfactual exercise suggests that self-employment flexibility encourages married women to work when they have young children raising women's median lifetime earnings by 2.5%. My findings offer evidence that workplace flexibility is highly valued by mothers and that self-employment is a means for some mothers to gain workplace flexibility while maintaining their future earning potential.
Bibliography Citation
Lim, Katherine. "Self-Employment, Workplace Flexibility, and Maternal Labor Supply: A Life-Cycle Model." Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016.