Parental leave, household specialization and children’s well-being

Serena Canaan

Labour Economics, 2022, vol. 75, issue C

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 and promote children’s well-being. In this paper, I show that lengthy leaves can instead work against 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 harms children’s verbal development.

Keywords: Parental leave; Household specialization; Child development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J13 J18 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Working Paper: Parental Leave, Household Specialization and Children's Well-Being (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:75:y:2022:i:c:s0927537122000203

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102127

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