Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Global Work–Family Interface
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Global Work–Family Interface
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Part I Overview
- Part II Assessing Cultural and Structural Differences
- 4 Schwartz Cultural Values: Implications for Global Work–Family Research
- 5 Relationships between Social Policy, Economic Characteristics, and the Work–Family Interface
- 6 The Impact of Leave Policies on Employment, Fertility, Gender Equality, and Health
- Part III Methodological Considerations
- Part IV Review of Research in Regions across the Globe
- Part V Cultures within Cultures
- Part VI Organizational Perspectives
- Part VII Family Perspectives
- Part VIII Individual Perspectives
- Part IX Conclusion
- Index
- References
6 - The Impact of Leave Policies on Employment, Fertility, Gender Equality, and Health
from Part II - Assessing Cultural and Structural Differences
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 April 2018
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Global Work–Family Interface
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Global Work–Family Interface
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Part I Overview
- Part II Assessing Cultural and Structural Differences
- 4 Schwartz Cultural Values: Implications for Global Work–Family Research
- 5 Relationships between Social Policy, Economic Characteristics, and the Work–Family Interface
- 6 The Impact of Leave Policies on Employment, Fertility, Gender Equality, and Health
- Part III Methodological Considerations
- Part IV Review of Research in Regions across the Globe
- Part V Cultures within Cultures
- Part VI Organizational Perspectives
- Part VII Family Perspectives
- Part VIII Individual Perspectives
- Part IX Conclusion
- Index
- References
Summary
Leave policies is an umbrella term which encompasses several types of governmental support that allow parents to temporarily interrupt their economic activity to provide care for their children at home. The policies include maternity, paternity, parental and childcare leave, and their corresponding financial support. Such leave policies were originally introduced to protect the health of mother and child, but nowadays pursue broader aims related to gender equality and work-family reconciliation. In this chapter, we review the literature on the impact of leave policies on four domains: employment, fertility, the gender division of unpaid work, and health. For each of these domains, we review the empirical evidence, methodological developments, and highlight the limitations of the literature. We conclude the chapter by reflecting on the broader implications of the findings.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Global Work–Family Interface , pp. 120 - 138Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018
References
Adsera, A. (2011). Where Are the Babies? Labor Market Conditions and Fertility in Europe. European Journal of Population, 27(1), 1–32.Google Scholar
Aitken, Z., Garrett, C. C., Hewitt, B., Keogh, L., Hocking, J. S., & Kavanagh, A. M. (2015). The maternal health outcomes of paid maternity leave: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 130, 32–41.Google Scholar
Akgunduz, Y. E., & Plantenga, J. (2013). Labour market effects of parental leave in Europe. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 37(4), 845–862.Google Scholar
Almqvist, A.-L. (2008). Why Most Swedish Fathers and Few French Fathers Use Paid Parental Leave: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Parents. Fathering, 6(2), 192–200.Google Scholar
Almqvist, A.-L., & Duvander, A.-Z. (2014). Changes in gender equality? Swedish fathers’ parental leave, division of childcare and housework. Journal of Family Studies, 20(1), 19–27.Google Scholar
Andersson, G., Hoem, J. M., & Duvander, A.-Z. (2006). Social differentials in speed-premium effects in childbearing in Sweden. Demographic Research, 14, 51–70.Google Scholar
Ang, X. L. (2015). The Effects of Cash Transfer Fertility Incentives and Parental Leave Benefits on Fertility and Labor Supply: Evidence from Two Natural Experiments. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 36(2), 263–288.Google Scholar
Argyrous, G., Craig, L., & Rahman, S. (2016). The Effect of a First Born Child on Work and Childcare Time Allocation: Pre-post Analysis of Australian Couples. Social Indicators Research.Google Scholar
Asai, Y. (2015). Parental leave reforms and the employment of new mothers: quasi-experimental evidence from Japan. Labour Economics, 36, 72–83.Google Scholar
Avendano, M., Berkman, L., Brugiavini, A., & Pasini, G. (2014). The Long-Run Effect of Maternity Leave Benefits on Mental Health: Evidence from European Countries. Social Science & Medicine 132 (2015): 45–53.Google Scholar
Baizan, P., Arpino, B., & Delclòs, C. E. (2016). The Effect of Gender Policies on Fertility: The Moderating Role of Education and Normative Context. European Journal of Population, 32(1), 1–30. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-015-9356-yGoogle Scholar
Bartova, A. (2016). “Genderising” Aspects of Birth-Related Leave Policies and Fertility Behaviour in Europe: Understanding Policy from an Individual’s Perspective (PhD Thesis). Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Bartova, A., & Emery, T. (2016). Measuring Policy Entitlements at the Micro-Level: Maternity & Parental Leave in Europe. Community, Work & Family.Google Scholar
Baxter, J. (2008). Is money the main reason mothers return to work after childbearing? Journal of Population Research, 25(2), 141–160.Google Scholar
Bergemann, A., & Riphahn, R. T. (2015). Maternal Employment Effects of Paid Parental Leave. Bonn. Retrieved from http://ftp.iza.org/dp9073.pdfGoogle Scholar
Berger, L., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Maternity leave and the employment of new mothers in the United States. Journal of Population Economics. 17: 331. doi:10.1007/s00148-003-0159-9Google Scholar
Bonoli, G. (2008). The impact of social policy on fertility: evidence from Switzerland. Journal of European Social Policy, 18(1), 64–77.Google Scholar
Brandth, B., & Kvande, E. (2016). Fathers and flexible parental leave. Work, Employment & Society, 30(2), 275–290.Google Scholar
Budig, M. J., Misra, J., & Boeckmann, I. (2016). Work–family policy trade-offs for mothers? Unpacking the cross-national variation in motherhood earnings penalties. Work and Occupations, 43(2), 119–177.Google Scholar
Bünning, M. (2015). What Happens after the “Daddy Months”? Fathers’ Involvement in Paid Work, Childcare, and Housework after Taking Parental Leave in Germany. European Sociological Review, 31(6), 738–748.Google Scholar
Bunning, M., & Pollmann-Schult, M. (2016). Family policies and fathers’ working hours: cross-national differences in the paternal labour supply. Work, Employment & Society, 30(2), 256–274.Google Scholar
Burtle, A., & Bezruchka, S. (2016). Population health and paid parental leave: what the United States can learn from two decades of research. Healthcare, 4(30).Google Scholar
Bygren, M., & Duvander, A.-Z. (2006). Parents’ Workplace Situation and Fathers’ Parental Leave Use. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(2), 363–372.Google Scholar
Cannonier, C. (2014). Does the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Increase Fertility Behavior? Journal of Labor Research, 35(2), 105–132.Google Scholar
Carneiro, P., Løken, K. V., & Salvanes, K. G. (2015). A Flying Start? Maternity Leave Benefits and Long-Run Outcomes of Children. Journal of Political Economy, 123(2), 365–412.Google Scholar
Cascio, E. U., Haider, S. J., & Nielsen, H. S. (2015). The effectiveness of policies that promote labor force participation of women with children: a collection of national studies. Labour Economics, 36, 64–71.Google Scholar
Castro-García, C., & Pazos-Moran, M. (2015). Parental Leave Policy and Gender Equality in Europe. Feminist Economics, 5701(April), 1–23. http://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2015.1082033Google Scholar
Castro-García, C., & Pazos-Moran, M. (2016). Parental Leave Policy and Gender Equality in Europe. Feminist Economics, 22(3), 51–73.Google Scholar
Chatterji, P., & Markowitz, S. (2012). Family Leave After Childbirth and the Mental Health of New Mothers. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 15, 61–76.Google Scholar
Craig, L., & Mullan, K. (2010). Parenthood, Gender and Work–family Time in the United States, Australia, Italy, France, and Denmark. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(5), 1344–1361.Google Scholar
Cygan-Rehm, K. (2013). Parental leave benefit and differential fertility responses : Evidence from a German reform. BGPE Discussion Paper, No. 142. Retrieved from www.lsw.wiso.uni-erlangen.de/BGPE/texte/DP/142_Cyganrehm.pdfGoogle Scholar
Cygan-Rehm, K. (2016). Parental leave benefit and differential fertility responses: evidence from a German reform. Journal of Population Economics, 29, 73–103.Google Scholar
Dagher, R. K., McGovern, P. M., & Dowd, B. E. (2014). Maternity leave duration and postpartum mental and physical health: Implications for leave policies. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 39(2), 369–416.Google Scholar
Danzer, N., & Lavy, V. (2013). Parental Leave and Children’s Schooling Outcomes: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from a Large Parental Leave Reform (No. w19452). Working paper. Published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Datta Gupta, N., Smith, N., & Verner, M. (2008). PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE: The impact of Nordic countries’ family friendly policies on employment, wages, and children. Review of Economics of the Household, 6(1), 65–89.Google Scholar
Dearing, H. (2015). Does parental leave influence the gender division of labour? Recent empirical findings from Europe. Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Social Policy Working Paper.Google Scholar
Dustmann, C., & Schönberg, U. (2012). Expansions in maternity leave coverage and children’s long-term outcomes. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 4(3), 190–224.Google Scholar
Duvander, A., & Andersson, G. (2006). Gender Equality and Fertility in Sweden: A Study on the Impact of the Father’s Uptake of Parental Leave on Continued Childbearing. Marriage & Family Review, 39(1–2), 37–41.Google Scholar
Duvander, A.-Z., Lappegård, T., & Andersson, G. (2010). Family policy and fertility: fathers’ and mothers’ use of parental leave and continued childbearing in Norway and Sweden. Journal of European Social Policy, 20(1), 45–57.Google Scholar
Duvander, Lappegård T., Andersen, S. N., Garðarsdóttir, Ó., Neyer, G., & Viklund, I. (2016). Gender Equal Family Policy and Continued Childbearing in Iceland, Norway and Sweden, 1–30. Retrieved from http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.299123.1474874646!/menu/standard/file/WP_2016_01.pdfGoogle Scholar
Escot, L., Fernández-Cornejo, J. A., & Poza, C. (2013). Fathers’ use of childbirth leave in Spain. The effects of the 13-day paternity leave. Population Research and Policy Review, 33(3), 419–453.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, G., & Billari, F. C. (2015). Re-theorizing family demographics. Population and Development Review, 41(1), 1–31.Google Scholar
Evertsson, M., & Duvander, A.-Z. (2010). Parental leave - possibility or trap? Does family leave length effect Swedish women’s labour market opportunities? European Sociological Review, 27(4), 435–450.Google Scholar
Ferraro, K. F., & Shippee, T. P. (2009). Aging and cumulative inequality: How does inequality get under the skin? The Gerontologist, 49(3), 333–343.Google Scholar
Frenette, M. (2010). How does the stork delegate work? Childbearing and the gender division of paid and unpaid labour. Journal of Population Economics, 24(3), 895–910.Google Scholar
Gauthier, A. H. (2007). The impact of family policies on fertility in industrialized countries: a review of the literature. Population Research and Policy Review, 26(3), 323–346.Google Scholar
Gauthier, A. H., & Koops, J. (forthcoming). The history of family policy research. In Rostgaard, T. (Ed.), Handbook of Child and Family Policy.Google Scholar
Geisler, E., & Kreyenfeld, M. (2011). Against all odds: Fathers’ use of parental leave in Germany. Journal of European Social Policy, 21(1), 88–99.Google Scholar
Geist, C., & Cohen, P. N. (2011). Headed Toward Equality? Housework Change in Comparative Perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(4), 832–844.Google Scholar
Geyer, J., Haan, P., & Wrohlich, K. (2015). The effects of family policy on maternal labor supply: combining evidence from a structural model and a quasi-experimental approach. Labour Economics, 36, 84–98.Google Scholar
Gíslason, I. (2007). Parental Leave in Iceland: Bringing the Fathers in. Report. Reykjavik, Ministry of Social Affairs and Centre for Gender Equality. Centre for Gender Equality, Akureyri.Google Scholar
Haas, L. (2003). Parental leave and gender equality: Lessons from the European Union. Review of Policy Research, 20(1), 89–114.Google Scholar
Hajizadech, M., Heymann, J., Strumpf, E., Harper, S., & Nandi, A. (2015). Paid maternity leave and childhood vaccination update: longitudinal evidence from 20 low- and middle-income countries. Social Science & Medicine, 140, 104–117.Google Scholar
Han, W.-J., & Waldfogel, J. (2003). Parental leave: The impact of recent legislation on parents’ leave taking. Demography, 40(1), 191–200.Google Scholar
Harknett, K., Billari, F. C., & Medalia, C. (2014). Do family support environments influence fertility? Evidence from 20 European countries. European Journal of Population, 30(1), 1–33.Google Scholar
Hegewisch, A., & Gornick, J. C. (2011). The impact of work–family policies on women’s employment: a review of research from OECD countries. Community, Work & Family, 14(2), 119–138.Google Scholar
Hilgeman, C., & Butts, C. T. (2009). Women’s employment and fertility: A welfare regime paradox. Social Science Research, 38(1), 103–117.Google Scholar
Hoem, J. (1993). Public policy as the fuel of fertility: Effects of a policy reform on the pace of childbearing in Sweden in the 1980s. Acta Sociologica, 36, 19–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaumotte, F. (2003). Labour force participation of women: Empirical evidence on the role of policy and other determinants in OECD countries. OECD Economic Studies, (37).Google Scholar
Joesch, J. M. (1997). Paid leave and the timing of women’s employment before and after birth. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59, 1008–1021.Google Scholar
Kaufman, G., Lyonette, C., & Crompton, R. (2010). Post-birth employment leave among fathers in Britain and the United States. Fathering, 8(3), 321–340. http://doi.org/10.3149/fth.0803.321Google Scholar
Keck, W., & Saraceno, C. (2013). The impact of different social-policy frameworks on social inequalities among women in the European Union: The labour-market participation of mothers. Social Politics, 20(3), 297–328.Google Scholar
Khanam, R., Nghiem, S., & Connelly, L. (2016). The effects of parental leave on child health and postnatal care: evidence from Australia. Economic Analysis and Policy, (49), 17–29.Google Scholar
Koslowski, A., Blum, S., & Moss, P. (2016). 12th International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2016. Retrieved from www.leavenetwork.org/lp_and_r_reports/Google Scholar
Kotsadam, A., & Finseraas, H. (2011). The state intervenes in the battle of the sexes: Causal effects of paternity leave. Social Science Research, 40(6), 1611–1622.Google Scholar
Lalive, R., & Zweimüller, J. (2009). How does parental leave affect fertility and return to work? Evidence from two natural experiments. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(3), 1363–1402.Google Scholar
Landau, E. C., & Beigbeder, Y. (2008). From ILO Standards to EU Law; The Case of Equality between Men and Women at Work. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.Google Scholar
Lappegård, T. (2012). Couples’ parental leave practices: The role of the workplace situation. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 33(3), 298–305.Google Scholar
Lee, G. H. Y., & Lee, S. P. (2014). Childcare availability, fertility and female labor force participation in Japan. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 32, 71–85. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjie.2014.01.002Google Scholar
Liu, Q., & Skans, O. N. (2010). The Duration of Paid Parental Leave and Children’s Scholastic Performance. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 10(1), 1–35.Google Scholar
Luci-Greulich, A., & Thévenon, O. (2013). The impact of family policies on fertility trends in developed countries. European Journal of Population, 29(4), 387–416.Google Scholar
Lundquist, J. H., Misra, J., & O’Meara, K. (2012). Parental leave usage by fathers and mothers at an American university. Fathering, 10(3), 337–363.Google Scholar
Månsdotter, A., Lindholm, L., & Winkvist, A. (2007). Paternity leave in Sweden—Costs, savings and health gains. Health Policy, 82 (1), 102–115.Google Scholar
Matysiak, A., & Szalma, I. (2014). Effects of parental leave policies on second birth risks and women’s employment entry. Population (English Edition), 69(4), 599–636.Google Scholar
Moss, P. (2009). International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research (Employment). BIS: Department for Business Innovation & Skills.Google Scholar
Naz, G. (2010). Usage of parental leave by fathers in Norway. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 30(5/6), 313–325.Google Scholar
Neilson, J., & Stanfors, M. (2014). It’s about time! Gender, parenthood, and household divisions of labor under different welfare regimes. Journal of Family Issues, 35(8), 1066–1088.Google Scholar
O’Brien, M. (2013). Fitting fathers into work–family policies: international challenges in turbulent times. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 33(9), 542–564.Google Scholar
OECD. (2007). Babies and Bosses – Reconciling Work and Family Life. Family Life. OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
OECD. (2016). Fertility Rates (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8272fb01-en (Accessed on 10 November 2017)Google Scholar
Oláh, L. S. (2003). Gendering fertility: Second births in Sweden and Hungary. Population Research and Policy Review, 22, 171–200.Google Scholar
Pragg, B., & Knoester, C. (2015). Parental Leave Use Among Disadvantaged Fathers. Journal of Family Issues, 1–29.Google Scholar
Pronzato, C. D. (2009). Return to work after childbirth: does parental leave matter in Europe? Review of Economics of the Household, 7(4), 341–360.Google Scholar
Rasmussen, A. W. (2010). Increasing the length of parents’ birth-related leave: The effect on children’s long-term educational outcomes. Labour Economics, 17(1), 91–100.Google Scholar
Romero-Balsas, P. (2015). Consequences paternity leave on allocation of childcare and domestic tasks. Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 149, 87–108.Google Scholar
Rønsen, M., & Sundström, M. (2002). Family Policy and after-birth employment among new mothers – a comparison of Finland, Norway and Sweden. European Journal of Population, 18, 121–152.Google Scholar
Rostgaard, T. (2009). Denmark. In Moss, P. (Ed.), International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research (Employment, pp. 149–156). BIS: Department for Business Innovation & Skills.Google Scholar
Ruhm, C. J. (1998). The economic consequences of parental leave mandates: Lessons from Europe. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 113(February), 285–317.Google Scholar
Salmi, M., & Lami-Taskula, J. (2009). Finland. In Moss, P. (Ed.), International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research (Employment, pp. 163–178). BIS: Department for Business Innovation & Skills.Google Scholar
Schober, P. S. (2014). Parental leave and domestic work of mothers and fathers: A longitudinal study of two reforms in west Germany. Journal of Social Policy, 43(2), 351–372.Google Scholar
Schober, P. S., & Zoch, G. (2015). Change in the gender division of domestic work after mummy or daddy took leave: An examination of alternative explanations. SOEP Papers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research, 803 –2015.Google Scholar
Shim, J. Y. (2013). Family Leave Policy and Child Health: Evidence from 19 OECD Countries from 1969–2010. Columbia University.Google Scholar
Sleebos, J. E. (2003). Low fertility rates in OECD countries: Facts and policy responses. OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, 15.Google Scholar
Spiess, C. K., & Wrohlich, K. (2008). The parental leave benefit reform in Germany: costs and labour market outcomes of moving towards the Nordic model. Population Research and Policy Review, 27(5), 575–591.Google Scholar
Šťastná, A., & Sobotka, T. (2009). Changing Parental Leave and Shifts in Second and Third-Birth Rates in Austria. Vienna: Vienna Institute of Demography Working Papers 7/2009.Google Scholar
Tamm, M. (2013). The impact of a large parental leave benefit reform on the timing of birth around the day of implementation. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 75(4), 585–601. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0084.2012.00707.xGoogle Scholar
Tanaka, S. (2005). Parental leave and child health across countries. The Economic Journal, 115(501), F7–F28.Google Scholar
Thévenon, O., & Solaz, A. (2013). Parental Leave and Labour Market Outcomes: Lessons from 40 Years of Policies in OECD Countries. INED, Documents de Travail 199. Retrieved from http://ideas.repec.org/p/idg/wpaper/199.htmlGoogle Scholar
Whitehouse, G., Diamond, C., & Baird, M. (2007). Fathers’ use of leave in Australia. Community, Work & Family, 10(4), 387–407.Google Scholar
Whitehouse, G., Hosking, A., & Baird, M. (2008). Returning too soon? Australian mothers’ satisfaction with maternity leave duration. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 46(3), 288–302.Google Scholar
Zabel, C. (2009). Eligibility for maternity leave and first birth timing in Great Britain. Population Research and Policy Review, 28(3), 251–270.Google Scholar
Ziefle, A., & Gangl, M. (2014). Do women respond to changes in family policy? A quasi-experimental study of the duration of mothers’ employment interruptions in Germany. European Sociological Review, 30(5), 562–581.Google Scholar
- 3
- Cited by