Early Childhood and Women’s Labor Participation Initiative

Globally, women often face a trade-off between paid work and investing in their children’s early development. In India, where female labor force participation remains low, concerns about child well-being are a major reason mothers stay out of the workforce—even when flexible employment is available. The Early Childhood and Women’s Labor Participation initiative, led by Professor Alessandra Voena and Dr. Suhani Jalota, seeks to understand the beliefs driving these decisions and test interventions that help mothers balance work and parenting. By providing low-cost parenting tools and structured early childhood stimulation training, the initiative examines whether improving mothers’ knowledge about child development can increase labor market participation and influence fertility expectations.

The initiative will pilot a randomized controlled trial in urban and semi-urban India, combining job offers with parenting support sessions adapted from proven curricula. Outcomes tracked will include women’s job take-up, children’s learning, and fertility intentions. Seed funding will support field piloting, collaborations with local early childhood organizations, and a Stanford workshop to develop a shared framework for studying these interlinked decisions.

By generating new data and testing scalable interventions, the initiative lays the foundation for policies that enable women to participate fully in the labor market while supporting their children’s development.