Child Penalty, Commuting Patterns, and Childcare in Austria

Research as of November 2026 | Preliminary findings

How does the birth of a child affect the working lives of mothers and fathers? And can better access to childcare help reduce gender disparities in the labour market?

We use Austrian administrative register data to examine how income and commuting distances change after the birth of the first child and whether better childcare provision can reduce mothers’ income losses.

Key Findings

Among mothers who worked full-time before the birth of their first child, income remains around 73% below the expected level four years later, while commuting distances are around 23% lower. Fathers’ income and commuting distances change little.

Mothers who have their first child at an older age experience smaller declines in income and commuting distances and recover faster.

A substantial expansion of childcare places compatible with full-time employment for children under three has a positive effect on mothers’ income. Two years after such an expansion, the estimated effect is around 16%.