Gender, Health and Wellbeing

Mental health issues represent a considerable challenge for personal well-being, parenting and economic productivity. Our research programme on gender, health and wellbeing covers two key areas:
- A comprehensive analysis of the impacts of mental health treatment on human capital, economic productivity and intergenerational outcomes across countries.
- The evolution of female careers with a focus on the role of workplace institutions and the interaction of careers with family responsibilities.
Theme leaders

Sonia Bhalotra
Sonia is Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick

Natalia Zinovyeva
Natalia is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick.
Current and future research
The research will look at ways in which mental health can affect economic outcomes specifically:
- Prescribing behaviour and educational attainment
- Mental health in the workplace
- Disabilities and the labour market
- Custody arrangements and the long term impacts on children and parents
Research highlights
- Childhood parental bonding and depression in adulthood: a study of mothers in rural Pakistan. Sonia Bhalotra, Allison Frost, Ashley Hagaman, Amina Bibi, Esther O Chung, Sarah C Haight, Siham Sikander and Joanna Maselko. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2024
- Maternal Investments in Children: The Role of Expected Effort and Returns. Sonia Bhalotra, Adeline Delavande, Paulino Font-Gilabert, Joanna Maselko. The Economic Journal, 2024.
- The Rise in Women’s Labor-Force Participation in Mexico. Sonia Bhalotra and Manuel Fernández. The World Bank Economic Review, 2024.
- Trajectories of early childhood skill development and maternal mental health. Dilek Sevim, Victoria Baranov, Sonia Bhalotra, Joanna Maselko and Pietro Biroli. The Journal of Human Resources., 2024.
Feature
Treating maternal depression. Sonia Bhalotra explains how cognitive behavioural therapy can help mothers invest more time and money in their children .