Abstract
This paper investigates the labor market effects of family caregiving, focusing on childcare
and eldercare. Using large panel data in Japan and an event-study design that accounts for
staggered treatment timing, I find sizable and persistent employment penalties for females
after childbirth. Mothers' employment decreases by 36 percentage points one year after
childbirth and stays lower five years later by approximately 19 percentage points. These
effects vary by job characteristics, contract type, and co-residence status, highlighting
substantial heterogeneity. In contrast, eldercare has smaller, at most 5 percentage points, and
often statistically insignificant average effects on employment. However, eldercare penalties
are larger and statistically significant, reaching up to 10 percentage points, for females with
certain pre-event characteristics: those in low-teleworkability jobs, those in high physical
proximity jobs, those on non-regular contracts, and those employed in small firms.