Population and Health Research Group Seminar -- Dr Francesca Fiori, University of Edinburgh

Dr Francesca Fiori, University of Edinburgh

Maternal employment and the wellbeing of children living with a lone mother in Scotland

This study focuses on children living with a lone mother in Scotland and analyses whether maternal employment makes a difference on their socio-emotional well-being. Previous research has shown that children who do not live with both of their parents fare worse on a variety of outcomes. However, less is known about the heterogeneity of their socio-economic context and the factors that can mitigate the negative effect of living with a lone mother. This study advances existing knowledge by investigating whether all type of maternal employment are beneficial to the child's socio-emotional wellbeing, and seeks to understand which mechanisms (e.g. household income, maternal wellbeing, childcare) can explain its positive effect. Its findings contribute to the policy debate around welfare-to-work reforms and their impact on lone-parent families.