Peer reviewed
Direct linkERIC Number: EJ874083
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-166X
Evidence from Maternity Leave Expansions of the Impact of Maternal Care on Early Child Development
Baker, Michael; Milligan, Kevin
Journal of Human Resources, v45 n1 p1-32 Win 2010
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 48-58 percent more time not working in their children's first year of life. This extra maternal care primarily crowded out home-based care by unlicensed nonrelatives and replaced full-time work. Our estimates suggest a weak impact of this increase in maternal care on indicators of child development. For example, measures of temperament and motor and social development show changes that are small and statistically insignificant. (Contains 17 footnotes, 10 tables, and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Parent Child Relationship, Social Development, Child Development, Infants, Mothers, Child Rearing, Foreign Countries, Child Care, Psychomotor Skills, Longitudinal Studies, Leaves of Absence, Public Policy, Employed Parents, Environmental Influences
University of Wisconsin Press. 1930 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711-2059. Tel: 608-263-0668; Fax: 608-263-1173; e-mail: journals@uwpress.wisc.edu; Web site: http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
