Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/148615 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Citation: 
[Journal:] DIW Economic Bulletin [ISSN:] 2192-7219 [Volume:] 6 [Issue:] 49 [Publisher:] Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) [Place:] Berlin [Year:] 2016 [Pages:] 571-578
Publisher: 
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW), Berlin
Abstract: 
On January 1, 2017, the parental leave benefit will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. Although its implementation was fervidly debated, it has become a widely accepted family policy measure. Its impact on parental labor supply, the division oflabor between parents, fertility, and indicators that reflect the well-being of parents and children have been examined from a variety of perspectives. A global evaluation of relevant economic studies shows that on average, when young familiesreceive the parental leave benefit as an earnings replacement benefit, their economic stability in the first year after childbirth increases. As a result of the parental leave benefit, the employment rate of mothers decreased in the first year after childbirth, while it increased in the second year. The share of fathers who take parental leave has clearly increased, while the effects on the division of labor within the family are inconclusive. Some evidence suggests that the parental leave benefit can even have an effect on fertility. Little is known about its impact on child development. Overall, although the parental leave benefit family policy measure has been successful in many areas, its targeted effects could be augmented by additional family policy reforms.
Subjects: 
parental leave
parental leave benefit
family policy
JEL: 
J12
J13
J16
J18
J21
J22
J24
Document Type: 
Article

Files in This Item:
File
Size
603.19 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.