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What Do Unions Do for Mothers? Paid Maternity Leave Use and the Multifaceted Roles of Labor Unions

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  • Tae-Youn Park
  • Eun-Suk Lee
  • John W. Budd

Abstract

The authors present a four-fold conceptual framework of union roles—with a focus on availability, awareness, affordability, and assurance—for enhancing workers’ paid maternity leave use. Using a panel data set of working women up to age 31 constructed from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, the authors find union-represented workers to be at least 17% more likely to use paid maternity leave than are comparable non-union workers. Additional results suggest that availability, awareness, and affordability contribute to this differential leave-taking. The authors also document a post-leave wage growth penalty for paid leave-takers, but do not find a significant union–non-union difference.

Suggested Citation

  • Tae-Youn Park & Eun-Suk Lee & John W. Budd, 2019. "What Do Unions Do for Mothers? Paid Maternity Leave Use and the Multifaceted Roles of Labor Unions," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 662-692, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:72:y:2019:i:3:p:662-692
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793918820032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Uwe Jirjahn & Jens Mohrenweiser, 2021. "Works councils and organizational gender policies in Germany," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(4), pages 1020-1048, December.
    2. Samuel Dodini & Kjell G. Salvanes & Alexander Willén & Li Zhu & Alexander L.P. Willén, 2023. "The Career Effects of Union Membership," CESifo Working Paper Series 10469, CESifo.
    3. Samuel Dodini & Anna Stansbury & Alexander Willén & Alexander L.P. Willén, 2023. "How Do Firms Respond to Unions?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10873, CESifo.
    4. Regmi, Krishna & Wang, Le, 2022. "Maternity Leave," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1184, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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