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Impact of Paid Family Leave of California on Delayed Childbearing and on Infant Health Outcomes

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Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of the Paid Family Leave (PFL) Act of California on the timing of first births for mothers, as well as infant health outcomes. Using a Difference in Difference (DID) methodology and Vital Statistics data from National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), I find that PFL of California reduces birth delay by encouraging women over 35 years old to have their first child 2 years earlier. This policy improves infant health outcomes for new mothers at delayed childbearing by reducing incidence of low birth weight (

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  • Sara Oloomi, 2016. "Impact of Paid Family Leave of California on Delayed Childbearing and on Infant Health Outcomes," Departmental Working Papers 2016-08, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:lsu:lsuwpp:2016-08
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    Cited by:

    1. Jones, Kelly & Wilcher, Britni, 2024. "Reducing maternal labor market detachment: A role for paid family leave," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    2. Eleanor Golightly & Pamela Meyerhofer, 2022. "Does Paid Family Leave Cause Mothers to Have More Children? Evidence from California," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 203-238, June.
    3. Florence Neymotin, 2018. "The impact of state subsidies for family leave on foster care and adoptions," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(2), pages 870-879.

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