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This paper explores the relationship between access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) services and family arrangements in the distribution of work in four Latin American countries. We find that households in which all children aged 0 to 5 receive ECEC services exhibit smaller gender gaps in unpaid work, mainly due to a decrease in the amount of time women devote to care work. Women in these households devote more time to paid work, such that the gender gap in total work does not differ between households based on use of ECEC services. However, use of ECEC services for children aged 0 to 5 is associated with reduced hours of unpaid work among women and an increase in women's hours of paid work. These findings confirm the importance of increasing access to early childhood care and education services to reduce gender gaps in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited empirical evidence on whether cash social assistance to poor pregnant women improves children’s birth outcomes. Using program administrative micro-data matched to longitudinal vital statistics on the universe of births in Uruguay, we estimate that participation in a generous cash transfer program led to a sizeable 15 to 17% reduction in the incidence of low birth weight. Improvements in mother nutrition and a fall in labor supply, out-of-wedlock births and mother’s smoking all appear to contribute to this effect. Effects are not driven by changes in fertility. We conclude that, by improving child health, cash transfers may help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

This article explores the differences in views between men and women Uruguayan economists regarding their opinions about market solutions and government interventions. In line with international evidence, the support for more market-oriented statements is lower among women than men. The study examines the role of age, family background, exposure to economic discussions (proxied by postgraduate education, reading of blogs and press, and academic environment), and personality traits (risk aversion, optimism, and preferences for competition) to explain these gender gaps. The results indicate that gender plays a role in shaping pro-market opinions. The gender differences remain significant after controlling for explanatory variables, though the magnitudes are mild. The findings indicate that achieving gender balance by including women in public debates and decision-making positions would improve the diversity of perspectives in economics. HIGHLIGHTS In Uruguay, women economists are less pro-market than their men colleagues. Personal traits, notably competitiveness, contribute to this gender gap. Including women in decision making improves diversity and quality of public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen: Muchas economías en desarrollo comparten dos rasgos distintivos: altos niveles de desigualdad de ingresos y una considerable proporción de empleo informal. Sin embargo, no abunda la bibliografía sobre la relación entre ambas variables, sobre todo en el caso de América Latina. En este artículo se analizan diversos factores que pueden influir en el signo de la ambigua relación entre desigualdad e informalidad. Comprobamos empíricamente esta relación utilizando datos de panel de América Latina correspondientes al periodo 1990‐2018. En las condiciones específicas de la región, los resultados muestran una asociación positiva entre la formalización del mercado de trabajo y la igualdad de ingresos laborales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]