Socio-emotional outcomes such as internalizing and externalizing behaviours, and ADHD in young children are associated with subsequent adverse outcomes in adolescence and adulthood such as poor school performance, depression, and antisocial behaviours. Growing empirical evidence suggests that many factors within the home environment are associated with the onset of these outcomes in children. One of these factors is maternal employment status, which for many families serves a critical purpose through increasing financial resources of the family, enhancing women’s careers and independence, and encouraging a more-equal gender role within the family. Nevertheless, some literature has raised concerns regarding the effect of maternal employment on children’s socio-emotional health, although the findings are inconsistent. For instance, some studies found that maternal employment within the first year of childbirth is associated with development of externalizing and internalizing behaviours in children. A few studies found no association, while in some others maternal employment led to improved socio-emotional health especially among minority and low-income populations.The discrepancies in findings can be due to differences in study design, exposure and outcome measurements, and the contextual characteristics of settings. In particular, maternity leave and childcare policies likely play crucial moderating roles in the association between maternal employment and child outcomes.There is evidence that the type, initiation (with earlier initiation due to shorter maternity leave) and quality of childcare impact child development. However, data on the potential additive effect of maternal employment and childcare on children’s socio-emotional health outcomes are scarce. Therefore, to better understand the role of maternal employment and childcare on children’s socio-emotional health and to inform public health policies and interventions related to maternity leave and childcare, new research examining the effect of these factors on children’s socio-emotional health is warranted.