The role of working mothers and mothers’ education in children’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the role of mothers’ education and employment status on children’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Using 2021 data (and 2018 for comparison) from the National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS), the results of a logit regression showed that mothers’ education and mothers’ employment status generally had a positive and significant effect on children’s education during the study period in three categories of education, i.e. primary education, junior secondary education, and senior secondary education. This study also found that children had a lower probability of being able to join education during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to normal conditions. This study has implications for the need for educational policy, including the development of informal educational programs, as well as ease of access for mothers to enter the labour market.