The Effects of California's Paid Family Leave Program on Mothers' Leave-Taking and Subsequent Labor Market Outcomes

34 Pages Posted: 31 Dec 2011

See all articles by Maya Rossin-Slater

Maya Rossin-Slater

Columbia University

Christopher J. Ruhm

University of Virginia - Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Jane Waldfogel

Columbia University - School of Social Work

Abstract

This analysis uses March Current Population Survey data from 1999-2010 and a differences-in-differences approach to examine how California's 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 more than doubled the overall use of maternity leave, increasing it from around three to six or seven weeks for the typical new mother – with particularly large growth for less advantaged groups. We also provide suggestive evidence that PFL increased the usual weekly work hours of employed mothers of one-to-three year-old children by 6 to 9% and that their wage incomes may have risen by a similar amount.

Keywords: parental leave, maternity leave, leave-taking, paid leave, maternal employment

JEL Classification: J2, J13, J18

Suggested Citation

Rossin-Slater, Maya and Ruhm, Christopher J. and Waldfogel, Jane, The Effects of California's Paid Family Leave Program on Mothers' Leave-Taking and Subsequent Labor Market Outcomes. IZA Discussion Paper No. 6240, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1977826 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1977826

Maya Rossin-Slater (Contact Author)

Columbia University ( email )

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Christopher J. Ruhm

University of Virginia - Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy ( email )

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Charlottesville, VA 22904-4893
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HOME PAGE: http://batten.virginia.edu/cruhm.html

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

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Jane Waldfogel

Columbia University - School of Social Work ( email )

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New York, NY 10025
United States

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