The Effects of Social Capital and Community Resources on the Cost of Child Rearing

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare the economic burden and cost of child rearing, mainly between families with job-holding mothers and job-exit mothers. The sample consisted of 665 mothers with at least one child aged one year or less from the 2009 Panel Study on Korean Children. We found social capital reduced the child rearing costs for both job-holding and job-exit mothers, while community resources significantly reduced the costs of child rearing only for job-holding mothers. Based on these results, implications for family policy for families with young children are suggested.