Do policies reshape attitudes? Evidence from maternity leave expansion in China

Maternity leave system has been established in most countries to support gender equality, with a worldwide growing trend towards expanding its durations. However, by emphasizing women's household responsibilities relative to men, expanded maternity leave durations could reinforce traditional gender role attitudes in the population. This paper explores a recent maternity leave expansion in China, the world's largest developing country with traditional gender norms. Based on the difference-in-differences approach, we show that longer maternity leave significantly reinforced individuals' traditional attitudes towards gender roles in the labor market and within households. The impacts are larger among males than among females, and mainly driven by men who initially held traditional views. The results also show a considerable shift towards traditional gender division of paid work and household responsibilities. Women's lower visibility in the workplace due to the reduced market demand may lead to the attitudinal changes. Overall, findings from this study highlight the role of policies in shaping public attitudes and the importance of incorporating gender-neutral policies in achieving gender equality.