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Abstract
We use individual observations from a panel of families during the period of the
peso crisis in Mexico to investigate whether and how labor market shocks, as proxied by
changes in the gender- and age-specific unemployment rates in the metropolitan area of
the household, affect the intertemporal time allocation of adult members and children.
Our findings suggest that significant added-worker effects are in operation,
especially for adult females of poorer households and in some cases children. The same
shocks also increase significantly the probability that children do not continue school in
the next year. We also present evidence suggesting differential treatment based on the sex
of children within families.