Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/161123 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 10500
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Maternity and family leave policies enable mothers to take time off work to prepare for and recover from childbirth and to care for their new children. While there is substantial variation in the details of these policies around the world, the existing research yields the following general conclusions. First, despite important barriers to the take-up of leave, both the implementation of new programs and extensions of existing ones increase leavetaking rates among new parents. Second, leave entitlements less than one year in length can improve job continuity for women and increase their employment rates several years after childbirth; longer leaves can negatively influence women's earnings, employment, and career advancement. Third, extensions in existing paid leave policies have no impact on measures of child well-being, but the introduction of short paid and unpaid leave programs can improve children's short- and long-term outcomes. Fourth, while more research is needed, the current evidence shows minimal impacts of existing U.S. state-level programs on employer-level outcomes such as employee productivity, morale, profitability, turnoverrates, or the total wage bill.
Subjects: 
female labor supply
working mothers
family leave
maternity leave
motherhood wage penalty
JEL: 
H4
J13
J18
J38
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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