Female Labor Supply: Adoption and the Labor Force Participation Decision

A bstract It is well established that the existence of children in the household reduces female labor force participation. This study seeks to determine if different methods of acquiring children ( adoption versus procreation ) affect participation decisions. Empirical results indicate that, other things being equal, women with one or more adopted children residing in their household are less likely to participate in the labor force than their nonadoptive counterparts.