Overview

Abstract (English)

This paper examines the impact of paternity leave on the gender gap in labor market _x000D_
outcomes. Utilizing administrative data from Canadian tax records, we analyze the _x000D_
introduction of Quebec’s 2006 paternity leave policy, which offers five weeks of paid leave _x000D_
exclusively to fathers. Using mothers and fathers of children born around the reform, we _x000D_
estimate how the policy impacted labor market outcomes up to 10 years following birth. _x000D_
The reform significantly increased fathers’ uptake of parental leave and reduced their _x000D_
earnings immediately after the reform. However, in the medium to long-run, we find that _x000D_
the reform did not impact earnings, employment, or the probability of being employed in _x000D_
a high-wage industry for either parent. We for instance find a 95%-CI for the effect on _x000D_
average female earnings 3-10 years following the reform ranging from -2.2 to +1.7%. _x000D_
Estimates of effects on other outcomes and for males are similarly precise zeros. There is _x000D_
likewise no evidence that the reform changed social norms around care-taking and family _x000D_
responsibilities.

Abstract (French)

Please note that abstracts only appear in the language of the publication and might not have a translation.