The Effects of Gas Prices on Single Mothers’ Time Use

Parents’ time use has serious repercussions on both the cognitive and social development of their children. This is especially true for single mothers, as they must dedicate time to both market work and childcare. They are faced with constraints on two fronts: an income constraint caused by being the sole “breadwinner” and a time constraint caused by the lack of an additional family member to take care of necessary household duties, including caring for children. Single mothers often live on the edge, earning just enough to provide for themselves and their children on a day to day basis. Therefore, one would expect their time use choices to be relatively sensitive to price changes, especially to changes in gasoline prices.