Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being
58 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2015 Last revised: 31 May 2019
There are 2 versions of this paper
Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being
Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being
Date Written: March 22, 2019
Abstract
Many countries offer new parents long periods of paid leave. Proponents argue that parental leave programs can reduce gender gaps in the labor market, support marital stability and promote children’s well-being. In this paper, I show that lengthy leaves can instead work against several of these intended goals. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that a 3-year expansion of paid leave in France increases household specialization by inducing mothers to exit the labor force and fathers to raise their work hours. The leave further discourages marriages among cohabiting couples and harms children’s verbal development.
Keywords: parental leave, household specialization, marriage, child development
JEL Classification: J12, J13, J18, J22
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation