激励,还是惩罚:养育子女数量对劳动者工资收入的影响

Incentives or Punishments:The Impact of the Number of Children on the Wage Income of Workers

养育子女数量是决定劳动者工资收入的重要因素之一。随着养育子女数量的增加,个体面临照料时间压力和照料经济压力的双重负担。照料时间压力挤压劳动时间,带来工资收入损失;照料经济压力可能推动劳动者努力工作,带来工资收入的增加。那么随着养育子女数量的增加,劳动者的工资收入究竟如何变化?本文基于一孩男孩这一工具变量和2018年中国家庭追踪调查数据,研究子女数量对劳动者工资收入的影响。研究发现:养育子女数量越多,劳动者工资收入越高;工作效率与额外工作量充当二者间的机制;而且,养育子女数量对劳动者工资收入的影响在性别、地区、受教育水平、家庭经济水平和城乡方面存在差异性。最后,养育孩子数量与劳动者工资收入呈倒U型曲线,且最优的孩子数量为3个。若超过三个孩子,劳动者的经济负担将过重,从而出现生产率降低的负面情况。

The number of children raised is one of the important factors determining the wage income of workers.The increase in the number of children raises the dual burden of care time pressure and care economic pressure on individuals.Care time pressure squeezes labor time,leading to a loss of wage income;while care economic pressure may motivate workers to work hard,bringing about an increase in income.So how does the number of children raised affect the wage income of workers?Based on the instrumental variable of the gender of the first child and the data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies(CFPS),this paper examines the impact of the number of children on the wage income of workers.The study finds that the more children a worker has,the higher their wage income;job efficiency,additional workload,and career upward mobility serve as mechanisms between the two.In addition,the impact of the number of children on wage income varies across gender,region,education level,and family economic level.Finally,the number of children exhibits an inverted U-shaped curve with wage income,with an optimal number of children of three.If there are more than three children,the economic burden on workers will be too heavy,leading to negative situations such as reduced productivity.