The Landscape of Parental Leave-Taking in the United States

Rebecca Jack (), Daniel Tannenbaum and Brenden Timpe

No 118, Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers from Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Abstract: This paper leverages new data linkages to provide the most detailed account to date of the length and timing of parental leave in the United States. Most mothers remain employed throughout pregnancy and their child’s first year of life, but the average maternity leave lasts only 7.2 weeks. Fathers take less than 1 week on average. Despite a steady increase in benefits, average leave duration has declined in recent decades. Our results highlight uneven access and incomplete take-up of parental leave benefits and suggest a modest rise in leave would lead to economically meaningful improvements in maternal health.

Keywords: maternal health; Gender; Parental leave (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 J13 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11-18
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fip:fedmoi:102120

DOI: 10.21034/iwp.118

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