Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being

58 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2015 Last revised: 31 May 2019

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

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

Canaan, Serena, Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being (March 22, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2691875 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2691875

Serena Canaan (Contact Author)

Simon Fraser University ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Canada

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