Evidence from maternity leave expansions of the impact of maternal care on early child development
Authors: Michael Baker and Kevin Milligan
Overview
Abstract (English)
We study the impact of maternal care on early child development using an expansion in Canadian maternity leave entitlements. Following the leave expansion, mothers who took leave spent between 48 and 58 percent more time not working in the first year of their children’s lives. We find that this extra maternal care primarily crowded out home-based care by unlicensed non-relatives, and replaced mostly full-time work. However, the estimates suggest a weak impact of the increase in maternal care on indicators of child development. Measures of family environment and motor-social development showed changes very close to zero. Some improvements in temperament were observed but occurred both for treated and untreated children.
Abstract (French)
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Details
| Type | Journal article |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Baker and Kevin Milligan |
| Publication Year | 2010 |
| Title | Evidence from maternity leave expansions of the impact of maternal care on early child development |
| Volume | 45 |
| Journal Name | Journal of Human Resources |
| Number | 1 |
| Pages | Jan-32 |
| Publication Language | English |
- Michael Baker
- Michael Baker and Kevin Milligan
- Evidence from maternity leave expansions of the impact of maternal care on early child development
- Journal of Human Resources
- 45
- 2010
- 1
- Jan-32