IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_12189.html

Parental Leave and Intimate Partner Violence

Author

Listed:
  • Dan Anderberg
  • Line Hjorth Andersen
  • N. Meltem Daysal
  • Mette Ejrnæs

Abstract

We study the effects of a parental leave reform in Denmark in 2002 on intimate partner violence (IPV) contacts. The reform extended leave-taking among mothers but not fathers and led to a marked reduction in IPV incidence, specifically among mothers with below-median years of education. Analysis of further outcomes suggests that increased birth spacing is a key mechanism linking extended parental leave to reduced IPV risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Dan Anderberg & Line Hjorth Andersen & N. Meltem Daysal & Mette Ejrnæs, 2025. "Parental Leave and Intimate Partner Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 12189, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12189
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/cesifo1_wp12189.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manser, Marilyn & Brown, Murray, 1980. "Marriage and Household Decision-Making: A Bargaining Analysis," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 21(1), pages 31-44, February.
    2. Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2017. "The Economic Consequences of Family Policies: Lessons from a Century of Legislation," Working Papers 811, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    3. Manudeep Bhuller & Gordon B. Dahl & Katrine V. Løken & Magne Mogstad, 2024. "Domestic Violence Reports and the Mental Health and Well-Being of Victims and Their Children," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(S), pages 152-186.
    4. Aizer, Anna & Dal B, Pedro, 2009. "Love, hate and murder: Commitment devices in violent relationships," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(3-4), pages 412-428, April.
    5. Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2017. "The Economic Consequences of Family Policies: Lessons from a Century of Legislation in High-Income Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(1), pages 205-230, Winter.
    6. Olivetti, Claudia & Petrongolo, Barbara, 2017. "The economic consequences of family policies: lessons from a century of legislation in high-income countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 69963, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Kleven, Henrik Jacobsen & Landais, Camille & Posch, Johanna & Steinhauer, Andreas & Zweimüller, Josef, 2024. "Do family policies reduce gender inequality? Evidence from 60 years of policy experimentation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117492, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Anna Aizer, 2010. "The Gender Wage Gap and Domestic Violence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(4), pages 1847-1859, September.
    9. Janet Currie & Michael Mueller-Smith & Maya Rossin-Slater, 2022. "Violence While in Utero: The Impact of Assaults during Pregnancy on Birth Outcomes," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(3), pages 525-540, May.
    10. Olivetti, Claudia & Petrongolo, Barbara, 2017. "The economic consequences of family policies:lessons from a century of legislation in high-incomecountries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 69046, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Beuchert, Louise Voldby & Humlum, Maria Knoth & Vejlin, Rune, 2016. "The length of maternity leave and family health," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 55-71.
    12. Christopher J. Ruhm, 1998. "The Economic Consequences of Parental Leave Mandates: Lessons from Europe," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(1), pages 285-317.
    13. García-Hombrados, Jorge & Martínez-Matute, Marta & Villa, Carmen, 2024. "Specialised courts and the reporting of intimate partner violence: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    14. Amaral, Sofia & Dahl, Gordon B. & Endl-Geyer, Victoria & Hener, Timo & Rainer, Helmut, 2023. "Deterrence or Backlash? Arrests and the Dynamics of Domestic Violence," IZA Discussion Papers 15856, IZA Network @ LISER.
    15. Bilge Erten & Pinar Keskin, 2018. "For Better or for Worse?: Education and the Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Turkey," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(1), pages 64-105, January.
    16. Henrik Kleven & Camille Landais & Johanna Posch & Andreas Steinhauer & Josef Zweimüller, 2024. "Do Family Policies Reduce Gender Inequality? Evidence from 60 Years of Policy Experimentation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 110-149, May.
    17. Jane Waldfogel, 1998. "Understanding the "Family Gap" in Pay for Women with Children," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(1), pages 137-156, Winter.
    18. Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2017. "The Economic Consequences of Family Policies: Lessons from a Century of Legislation in High-Income Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(1), pages 205-230, Winter.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dan Anderberg & Line Hjorth Andersen & N.Meltem Daysal & Mette Ejrnaes, 2025. "Parental Leave and Intimate Partner Violence," CEBI working paper series 25-12, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    2. Dan Anderberg & Line Hjorth Andersen & N. Meltem Daysal & Mette Ejrnæs, 2025. "Parental leave and intimate partner violence," IFS Working Papers W25/43, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    3. Ziegler, Lennart & Bamieh, Omar, 2025. "Does a flexible parental leave system stimulate maternal employment?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Gozde Corekcioglu & Marco Francesconi & Astrid Kunze, 2025. "Parental Leave from the Firm’s Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 11868, CESifo.
    5. Lalive, Rafael, 2021. "Mothers at Work: How Mandating Paid Maternity Leave Affects Employment, Earnings and Fertility," CEPR Discussion Papers 16418, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Corekcioglu, Gozde & Francesconi, Marco & Kunze, Astrid, 2024. "Expansions in paid parental leave and mothers’ economic progress," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    7. Estefanía Galván & Cecilia Parada & Martina Querejeta & Soledad Salvador, 2024. "Gender Gaps and Family Leaves in Latin America," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 387-414, June.
    8. Chuard, Caroline, 2023. "Negative effects of long parental leave on maternal health: Evidence from a substantial policy change in Austria," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Girsberger, Esther Mirjam & Hassani-Nezhad, Lena & Karunanethy, Kalaivani & Lalive, Rafael, 2023. "Mothers at work: How mandating a short maternity leave affects work and fertility," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Sevrin Waights, 2022. "Parental Leave Benefits and Child Penalties," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2016, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    11. Michela Bia & German Blanco & Marie Valentova, 2021. "The Causal Impact of Taking Parental Leave on Wages: Evidence from 2005 to 2015," LISER Working Paper Series 2021-08, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    12. Fitzenberger, Bernd & Seidlitz, Arnim, 2024. "Changing Fertility and Heterogeneous Motherhood Effects: Revisiting the Effects of a Parental Benefits Reform," IZA Discussion Papers 16966, IZA Network @ LISER.
    13. Alessandra Casarico & Salvatore Lattanzio, 2023. "Behind the child penalty: understanding what contributes to the labour market costs of motherhood," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1489-1511, July.
    14. Alena Bicakova & Klara Kaliskova, 2022. "Is Longer Maternal Care Always Beneficial? The Impact of a Four-year Paid Parental Leave," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp732, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    15. Renner, Anna-Theresa & Shaikh, Mujaheed & Spitzer, Sonja, 2025. "Absence from work and lifetime smoking behavior: Evidence from European maternal leave policies," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Simon Rabaté & Externe auteur: Sara Rellstab, 2021. "The Child Penalty in the Netherlands and its Determinants," CPB Discussion Paper 424, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    17. Francesca Barigozzi & Helmuth Cremer & Emmanuel Thibault, 2024. "The motherhood wage and income traps," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(4), pages 1-26, December.
    18. Glogowsky, Ulrich & Hansen, Emanuel & Sachs, Dominik & Lüthen, Holger, 2025. "The evolution of child-related gender inequality in Germany and the role of family policies, 1960–2018," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    19. Gørtz, Mette & Sander, Sarah & Sevilla, Almudena, 2023. "Does the Child Penalty Strike Twice, and If So Why?," IZA Discussion Papers 16557, IZA Network @ LISER.
    20. Behringer, Jan & Gonzalez Granda, Martin & van Treeck, Till, 2022. "Varieties of the rat race: Working hours in the age of abundance," ifso working paper series 17, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12189. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.