Paid Parental Leave and Families' Living Arrangements

Kamila Cygan-Rehm, Daniel Kühnle () and Regina Riphahn
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Daniel Kühnle: University of Duisburg-Essen
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Daniel Kuehnle ()

No 11533, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We examine how a paid parental leave reform causally affected families' living arrangements. The German reform we examine replaced a means-tested benefit with a universal transfer paid out for a shorter period. Combining a regression discontinuity with a difference-in-differences design, we find that the reform increased the probability that a newborn lives with non-married cohabiting parents. This effect results from a reduced risk of single parenthood among women who gained from the reform. We reject the economic independence hypothesis and argue that the reform effects for those who benefited from the reform are consistent with hypotheses related to the improved financial situation of new mothers after the reform and increased paternal involvement in childcare.

Keywords: single motherhood; cohabitation; marriage; living arrangements; parental leave; child well-being; early childhood (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I30 J12 J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2018-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2018, 53, 182 - 197

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Journal Article: Paid parental leave and families’ living arrangements (2018)
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