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This analysis uses March Current Population Survey data from 1999 to 2010 and a differences-in-differences approach to examine how Californias first in the nation paid family leave (PFL) program affected leave-taking by mothers following childbirth, as well as subsequent labor market outcomes. We obtain robust evidence that the California program doubled the overall use of maternity leave, increasing it from an average of three to six weeks for new mothers—with some evidence of particularly large growth for less advantaged groups. We also provide evidence that PFL increased the usual weekly work hours of employed mothers of 1-to 3-year-old children by 10 to 17 percent and that their wage incomes may have risen by a similar amount.

The effects of paid parental leave policies on infant health have yet to be established. In this paper we investigate these effects by exploiting the introduction of California Paid Family Leave (PFL), the first program in the U.S. that specifically provides working parents with paid time off for bonding with a newborn. We measure health using the full census of infant hospitalizations in California and a set of control states, and implement a differences-in-differences approach. Our results suggest a decline in infant admissions, which is concentrated among those causes that are potentially affected by closer childcare (and to a lesser extent breastfeeding). Other admissions that are unlikely to be affected by parental leave do not exhibit the same pattern.

The aging of America is shining a spotlight on the role of family caregivers. State policy makers are considering a range of policies to support family caregivers, especially as they seek ways to reduce medical costs associated with the care of high-need disabled and older adults.

Given variability in parental leave policies in gastroenterology (GI) with little data on outcomes, the American College of Gastroenterology conducted a survey to assess policies and outcomes. A survey was distributed to American College of Gastroenterology members with questions on demographics, fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and parental leave policies. There were 796 responses, with 52.5% female individuals. Many (57%) delayed parenting. High rates of infertility (21%) and pregnancy complications (68%) were observed. Satisfaction with parental leave policies in GI was low (35%). Our survey highlights the need for policies that support the well-being of our GI colleagues and families.

We evaluate changes in elementary school children health outcomes following the introduction of California’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, which provided parents with paid time off following the birth of a child. Our health outcomes—overweight, ADHD, and hearing-related problems—are characterized by diagnosis rates that only pick up during early elementary school. Moreover, our health outcomes have been found to be negatively linked with many potential implications of extended maternity leave—increased breastfeeding, prompt medical checkups at infancy, reduced prenatal stress, and reduced non-parental care during infancy. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS) within a difference-in-differences framework, our results suggest improvements in health outcomes among California elementary school children following PFL’s introduction. Furthermore, the improvements are driven by children from less advantaged backgrounds, which is consistent with the notion that California’s PFL had the greatest effect on leave-taking duration after childbirth mostly for less advantaged mothers who previously could not afford to take unpaid leave.

Purpose Family violence imposes tremendous costs on victims and society. Rarely are policies focused on the primary prevention of family violence. Given the prevalence of family violence—including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV)—during the perinatal period, policies targeting this vulnerable time period may be successful in primary prevention. Paid family leave (PFL) programs provide income-replacement during particularly stressful family events, such as the birth of a child.MethodIn this commentary, we describe the conceptual links between PFL, child maltreatment, and IPV, suggesting that PFL may be a promising strategy for the primary prevention of child maltreatment and IPV.ResultsThere is emerging evidence that policies targeting the early years of life may reduce child maltreatment and IPV.ConclusionAddressing the concrete and economic challenges faced by caregivers is one promising strategy for the prevention of family violence.

Background Paid parental leave policies may promote breastfeeding, which can have short- and long-term health benefits for both members of the birthing person-infant dyad. In the United States, where 56% of the workforce qualifies for unpaid federal medical leave, certain states have recently enacted paid parental and family leave policies. We aimed to assess the extent to which living in states with versus without paid family leave was associated with feeding regimens that included breastfeeding. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis of the 2021 National Immunization Survey-Child, we assessed feeding outcomes: (1) exclusively breastfed (only fed breastmilk—never infant formula—both before and after six months of age), (2) late mixed breastfeeding (formula after six months), (3) early mixed breastfeeding (breastfed, formula before six months), and (4) never breastfed. We conducted Pearson χ 2 to compare social-demographic characteristics and multivariable nominal regression to assess extent to paid family leave was associated with breastfeeding regimens, compared with never breastfeeding. Results Of the 35,995 respondents, 5,806 (25% of weighted respondents) were from states with paid family leave policies. Compared with never breastfeeding, all feeding that incorporated breastfeeding—exclusive breastfeeding, late mixed feeding (breastfed, formula introduced after six months), and early mixed feeding (breastfed, formula introduced before six months)—were more prevalent in states with paid family leave policies. The adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) and differences in adjusted prevalence compared with never breastfeeding in states with versus without paid family leave policies were: aPR 1.41 (95% CI 1.15, 1.73), 5.36% difference for exclusive breastfeeding; aPR 1.25 (95% CI 1.01, 1.53), 3.19% difference for late mixed feeding, aPR 1.32 (95% CI 1.32, 1.97), 5.42% difference for early mixed feeding. Conclusion States with paid family leave policies have higher rates of any breastfeeding and of exclusive breastfeeding than states without such policies. Because all feeding types that incorporate breastfeeding were higher in states with paid family leave policies, expansion of paid family leave may improve breastfeeding rates.

Objectives. To determine if the introduction of New York State’s 8-week paid family leave policy on January 1, 2018, reduced rates of hospitalizations with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis or any acute lower respiratory tract infection among young infants. Methods. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using New York State population-based, all-payer hospital discharge records, October 2015 to December 2019. We estimated the change in monthly hospitalization rates for RSV bronchiolitis and for any acute lower respiratory tract infection among infants aged 8 weeks or younger after the introduction of paid family leave while controlling for temporal trends and RSV seasonality. We modeled RSV hospitalization rates in infants aged 1 year as a control. Results. Hospitalization rates for RSV bronchiolitis and any acute lower respiratory tract infection decreased by 30% after the introduction of paid family leave (rate ratio [RR] = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54, 0.94; and RR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.59, 0.88, respectively). There were no such reductions in infants aged 1 year (RR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.72, 1.33; and RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.32, respectively). Conclusions. State paid family leave was associated with fewer RSV-associated hospitalizations in young infants. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(2):316–324. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306559 )

Literature on the labor market and health effects of paid family leave largely overlooks the impacts on fertility, particularly in the United States. Increased childbearing following the introduction of a modest paid family leave policy in the U.S. could explain the contrasting short–term gains and long–term losses in women’s labor market outcomes found in recent work. We exploit the nation’s first paid family leave program, implemented in California in 2004. Using the universe of U.S. births and a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that access to leave increases fertility by 2.8 percent, driven by higher order births to mothers in their 30s, as well as Hispanic mothers and those with a high school degree. Our results are robust to corrective methods of inference, including synthetic controls. Our findings may inform the discussion of a national paid family leave policy.

I investigate the effects of California’s paid family leave (CA-PFL) program, the first state-mandated paid leave available to both mothers and fathers in the US. I examine the effects on the overall health of mothers and fathers during two distinct periods: health immediately around childbirth and health following childbirth. To do so, I leverage the variation in the timing of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) health care topical module relative to the exact year and month of childbirth. I find that CA-PFL has improved mothers’ health during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth. This improvement in health is accompanied by a reduced likelihood of mothers not working or taking unpaid work absence. Some improvements manifest in fathers’ health too during the same period. However, I observe that fathers report more instances of feeling sick, starting around 5 months after childbirth. Further analysis reveals that the share of fathers not working or taking unpaid work absence rises temporarily when the leave period ends. Understanding the effects on fathers’ health and leave utilization is pivotal to evaluating the program’s overall benefits and potential unintended consequences given the growing focus on enhancing equal access to paid leave for both mothers and fathers.