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The Long-Term Impact of Paid Parental Leave on Maternal Health and Subjective Well-Being

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  • Katharina Heisig

Abstract

This paper studies the long-term impact of a paid parental leave reform in former East Germany in 1986 on maternal physical and mental health and subjective well-being. The reform extended paid leave for first-time mothers by six months to a maximum of twelve months. I use representative survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and a difference-in-differences design in a quasi-experimental setting. Results show that the effects of the reform were negligible on maternal long-term physical and mental health and subjective well-being. There is weak, but not robust, evidence for increased satisfaction with household activities, income, and work.

Suggested Citation

  • Katharina Heisig, 2023. "The Long-Term Impact of Paid Parental Leave on Maternal Health and Subjective Well-Being," CESifo Working Paper Series 10308, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10308
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pinjas Albagli & Tomás Rau, 2019. "The Effects of a Maternity Leave Reform on Children's Abilities and Maternal Outcomes in Chile," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(619), pages 1015-1047.
    2. Andrew E. Clark & Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields, 2008. "Relative Income, Happiness, and Utility: An Explanation for the Easterlin Paradox and Other Puzzles," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(1), pages 95-144, March.
    3. Pinka Chatterji & Sara Markowitz & Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, 2013. "Effects of early maternal employment on maternal health and well-being," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(1), pages 285-301, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth Brainerd & Olga Malkova, 2026. "How religion mediates the fertility response to maternity benefits," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 64(2), pages 508-532, April.
    2. Laëtitia Dillenseger & Martijn J. Burger & Francis Munier, 2023. "Part-time Parental Leave and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the Netherlands," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(6), pages 3019-3041, December.
    3. Heisig, Katharina & Zierow, Larissa, 2025. "Paid parental leave and long-term outcomes of children—Quasi-experimental evidence from former East Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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