October 2018

IZA DP No. 11873: Fathers' Parental Leave-Taking, Childcare Involvement and Mothers' Labor Market Participation

revised version published as 'Fathers' parental leave-taking, childcare involvement and labor market participation' in: Labour Economics, 2019, 59, 184 - 197

This study analyzes the effect of fathers' parental leave-taking on the time fathers spend with their children and on mothers' and fathers' labor supply. Fathers' leave-taking is highly selective and the identification of causal effects relies on within-father differences in leave-taking for first and higher order children that were triggered by a policy reform promoting more gender equality in leave-taking. Results show that even short periods of fathers' parental leave may have long-lasting effects on fathers' involvement in childcare and housework. Effects on maternal labor supply are also significantly positive but do not persist over time.