Back to Work: The Post-COVID Labor Market for Mothers of Young Children

Publication Date

2026

College

Jack C. Massey College of Business

Department

Economics and Finance

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Dustin Rumbaugh

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

This project examines whether the labor force participation rate of mothers with children under age five will return to its pre-COVID-19 trajectory. Using monthly data from IPUMS, I will construct a time series of participation rates for women ages 18–50 with young children and estimate pre-pandemic trends. I will then apply time series methods to compare the observed post-COVID recovery with the expected path and generate forecasts of future participation. The analysis will assess the magnitude of the pandemic shock, the extent of recovery, and whether participation is likely to fully converge back to its prior trend, with implications for childcare policy and labor market dynamics.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS