Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/206771 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 1806
Publisher: 
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Christian Doppler Laboratory Aging, Health and the Labor Market, Linz
Abstract: 
Maternity leave policies are designed to safeguard the health of pregnant workers and their unborn children. However, little is known about the impact of existing policies, which are not evidence-based. We evaluate a maternity leave extension in Austria, which increased mandatory leave from 6 to 8 weeks prior to birth. We exploit that the eligibility for the extended leave was determined by a cutoff due date. Our estimates capture a reduction of in utero exposure to maternal stress caused by work in the third trimester of pregnancy. We find no evidence for significant effects of this extension on children's health at birth or long-term health and labor market outcomes. Subsequent maternal health and fertility are also unaffected. We conclude that, for workers without problems in pregnancy, mandatory maternity leave should not start prior to the 35th week of gestation.
Subjects: 
maternity leave
fetal origins hypothesis
infant health
birth outcomes
birth weight
long-term child outcomes
fertility
JEL: 
J13
I18
J28
I13
J83
J88
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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