https://macropaperwarehouse.com/authors/sarah-sander/Sarah SanderHugo -- gohugo.ioen-usThu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://macropaperwarehouse.com/papers/universal-daycare-and-mothers-working-lifetime/Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://macropaperwarehouse.com/papers/universal-daycare-and-mothers-working-lifetime/<p>This paper estimates the causal effects of universal daycare access on mothers&rsquo; labor force participation, full-time employment, hours worked, and earnings across 34 years after the birth of their first child — the longest window examined in this literature. The motivation is twofold: the existing evidence base is overwhelmingly short-run, and the human capital channel (reduced depreciation of skills, accumulation of experience) implies that early labor market attachment during child-rearing years could compound over decades in ways that short-run estimates miss entirely.</p>