Extended maternity leave and children's long‐term development

Countries around the world are increasingly expanding legal maternity leaves, with the dual objective of protecting mothers' jobs during their recovery after childbirth and enhancing child development. Using exhaustive census data, we find that a three‐year paid leave in France had zero average...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Scandinavian journal of economics Vol. 126; no. 2; pp. 224 - 253
Main Authors Behaghel, Luc, Pinto, Maria Florencia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2024
Wiley
Subjects
Censuses
Child development
Childbirth & labor
Economics and Finance
France
Humanities and Social Sciences
Maternity & paternity leaves
Maternity leave
Mothers
Side effects
Child development
Maternity leave
France
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Countries around the world are increasingly expanding legal maternity leaves, with the dual objective of protecting mothers' jobs during their recovery after childbirth and enhancing child development. Using exhaustive census data, we find that a three‐year paid leave in France had zero average effects on children's long‐term schooling achievement, and no detectable impact heterogeneity. The lack of positive effects on children adds to the case against a policy that has strong adverse effects on mothers' careers.
ISSN:0347-0520
1467-9442
DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12551