Getting a job actually makes low-income moms less likely to vote and more likely to start leaning conservative.
Contrary to the assumption that employment increases civic engagement, 50 years of data shows that 'pro-work' policies like the EITC actually reduced voter turnout among mothers. The time-pressure of work coupled with exposure to more conservative coworkers shifted these women's political identities away from the Democratic party.
Does Employment Shift Mothers' Voting Behavior and Political Identity?
SSRN · 6456966
While the correlation between working and voting is positive, I provide the first causal evidence that this relationship is negative. Using five decades of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions and 1990s welfare reform as instruments for employment, I find that working lowers voter turnout and increases conservatism among lower-income mothers. Voter registration, political knowledge, and civic engagement decline, while preferences for conservative policies rise. Effects are largest for unma