The effect of paid parental leave on breastfeeding, parental health and behavior

Laetitia Lebihan and Charles Olivier Mao Takongmo

Economics & Human Biology, 2023, vol. 50, issue C

Abstract: Little is known about the effects of paid parental leave (in particular fathers’ quotas) on parental health and involvement. In this paper, we exploit a reform that took place in the Canadian province of Quebec to address that important topic. In 2006, Quebec opted out of the federal plan and established its own parental insurance plan, named the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). This program has lowered the eligibility criteria, increased income replacement and introduced fathers’ quotas. Using three data sets, we investigate the impact of the QPIP on breastfeeding and parental health and behavior. Our results show that the reform increased breastfeeding duration. The results also suggest that the policy had limited positive effects on parental health and parenting practices.

Keywords: Parental leave; Family health; Breastfeeding; Parental behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 I30 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Related works:
Working Paper: The effect of paid parental leave on breastfeeding, parental health and behavior (2023)
Working Paper: The Effect of Paid Parental Leave on Breastfeeding, Parental Health and Behavior (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:50:y:2023:i:c:s1570677x23000291

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101248

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