The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study
Paid family leave policies support the health of families with newborn children, with particular improvements in health status and psychological distress in mothers and particular benefits in reduced alcohol use in fathers.
Cite this Article
Lee, Bethany C., et al. “The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study.” Social Science & Medicine, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
Lee, B.C., Modrek, S., White, J.S., Batra, A., Collin, D.F., & Hamad, R. (2020). The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study. Social Science & Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
Lee, Bethany C., Sepideh Modrek, Justin S. White, Akansha Batra, Daniel F. Collin, and Rita Hamad. “The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study.” Social Science & Medicine (2020). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
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This article was written by , , , , and , and was originally published by Social Science & Medicine in April of 2020In every high income-country other than the United States, national paid family leave (PFL) policies guarantee salary support to parents of newborn children, helping families stay healthy. Previous research shows that parents with paid family leave have better mental health, which can lower risk of alcoholism. This may reflect decreased stress, increased income, and increased time to bond with the newborn. Paid family leave may also provide working parents with enough time for exercise and enough income to maintain a nutritious diet. In turn, these outcomes can benefit children’s health. However, few of these prior studies examined U.S. PFL policies. Their findings may not easily generalize to the U.S. because they were conducted in countries with more robust welfare systems and childcare options.
The state of California introduced the first state-level paid family leave policy in 2004. Since then, the number of claims paid has increased each year, with nearly universal coverage for private sector workers and the option to opt-in for self-employed, state, and local workers. This study offers some of the first estimates of the effects of California’s paid family leave policy on parents’ health, using longitudinal national data and a quasi-experimental study design.
Cite this Article
Lee, Bethany C., et al. “The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study.” Social Science & Medicine, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
Lee, B.C., Modrek, S., White, J.S., Batra, A., Collin, D.F., & Hamad, R. (2020). The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study. Social Science & Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
Lee, Bethany C., Sepideh Modrek, Justin S. White, Akansha Batra, Daniel F. Collin, and Rita Hamad. “The effect of California’s paid family leave policy on parent health: A quasi-experimental study.” Social Science & Medicine (2020). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112915.
