Formal Childcare Uptake of Native and Second Generation Parents in Belgium: Do Local Childcare Expansions Narrow Migrant-Native Uptake Gaps?

Julie Maes , University of Antwerp
Karel Neels , University of Antwerp
Naomi Biegel , University of Antwerp
Jonas Wood , University of Antwerp

Research indicates that uptake of formal childcare in most European countries is lower among migrant origin parents than among native parents, and that these differentials extend to the second generation. Although prior studies have identified limitations in the local availability of formal childcare as a potential explanation for migrant-native differentials in uptake, it remains unclear whether childcare expansions effectively narrow uptake gaps by reducing barriers for parents with a weaker socio-economic position, or whether uptake gaps remain unchanged as they are related to factors such as differential attitudes or incompatibility between job characteristics and opening hours. Using longitudinal microdata from the 2011 Belgian census and the population register which have been linked to tax return data on childcare expenses and municipality-level data on childcare coverage for children aged 0-3, this study examines the relationship between childcare expansions in the period 2010-2014 and migrant-native differences in formal childcare uptake. Municipality-level fixed-effects models are used to investigate the uptake of formal childcare uptake among native mothers and second generation mothers of Southern European, Turkish and Maghreb origin. Our results show that increasing coverage within municipalities has a stronger positive effect on the probability of using formal childcare for Maghreb and Turkish origin women compared to native women, in turn reducing migrant-native uptake gaps. In contrast, we find no differential effect for Southern European origin women. These results suggest that childcare expansions can partially remediate cumbersome access to childcare among Maghreb and Turkish origin women, who generally have more precarious positions than native women.

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 Presented in Session 75. Child care and family